


Lone Wolf

by hiddenoptimist



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alpha Harry, Alpha Liam, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Bondage, Dirty Talk, Dystopia, Exhibitionism, Kink Exploration, Kink Negotiation, M/M, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Mild S&M, Omega Niall, Rimming, Self-Lubrication, Sex Toys, Sexual Slavery
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-01-03
Updated: 2016-05-24
Packaged: 2018-03-05 03:52:19
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 10
Words: 38,031
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3104558
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hiddenoptimist/pseuds/hiddenoptimist
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In a world where omegas are enslaved and alphas are superior, Harry is a lone wolf. He doesn't agree with the system, and fights to remain outside of the usual alpha stereotype. Everything changes when he finds an omega he just can't tear his gaze away from.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Part One

Harry worked his way through the crowd, carefully avoiding standing on any extravagant outfits worn by the attendants of the event. Everyone always seemed to dress up for the auctions. Harry himself wore only jeans and a t-shirt. He didn't attend the auctions regularly, or even at all; he was only here to meet a business associate who'd picked the location. Personally, Harry wasn't all too interested in slaves.

Harry was an alpha, though an unusual one at that. He didn't have a pack and he didn't have any omega slaves. The idea of controlling another person repulsed him and he'd never felt that instant bond with an omega. He didn't believe it existed, that it was just an excuse for blatant infatuation and obsession. If he'd had any choice in the matter, he wouldn't have set foot in the place.

The alpha he was meeting, Liam, was lounging by the bar at the back of the auction house. He was alone, which was surprising in itself - Liam always travelled with his mate, Zayn - but could only be expected. Harry knew that Zayn didn't enjoy returning to the auction house he'd been bought from. This house was the worst in the area, keeping their omegas for up to a week before the auction and practically abusing them.

It hadn't always been like this. The history books were filled with stories of how alphas, betas and omegas had coexisted. Every alpha had an omega mate back then, though nowadays bonded pairs were rare. Liam and Zayn were the only mates Harry knew of. Everything had changed with the revolution. A small group of omegas had stood up against the government, demanding more rights. In return, they had been given slavery.

Harry had grown up in this new world and though he didn't agree with what was happening, he kept his head down and stayed silent. He was a lawyer, and his professional reputation would be at stake if he ever publicly opposed the system. He did it in subtle ways, like refusing to participate in auctions.

Unfortunately, he was here now.

Liam greeted him with a handshake and a drink. They discussed their business, the current case ransacking the city. Liam had been Harry's mentor when he'd first started as a lawyer and they'd stayed in contact, meeting up every month to discuss cases and just to catch up. Normally, they would meet up in the coffee shop across from the office, but today Liam had insisted they meet in the auction house.

"You know, Harry, you should get an omega," Liam said, leaning back against the bar. He'd turned his attention to the platform in the centre of the room where the auction was starting.

"And why would I do that?" Harry asked, watching the auctioneer climb onto the stage and begin listing today's 'wares'.

"They're good company, and I know you're really busy. An omega could take care of your house when you're out. Besides, aren't you lonely, living in a great big house like that by yourself?" Liam shrugged. "You might even find a mate."

"The idea of owning another person doesn't really appeal to me, thanks."

Liam shrugged, glancing down at the auction card sticking out of Harry's pocket. He'd been given it when he entered, but he had no intention of using it. Liam took out his own card. "You've got your card, if any of them catch your eye."

Harry settled on the bar stool, watching without interest as the omegas were brought out one by one onto the platform. All of the omegas were wearing plain white underwear, thin black collars around their throats and their hands cuffed together in front of them. There was a mixture of men and women on the stage, the youngest being around eighteen. Harry regarded them all with pity, and once the bidding started he mostly focused on his hands. Just being in the same room when another person was being sold made him feel guilty.

Liam's commentary on the omegas made Harry glance up each time someone new came on. It wasn't until Liam fell silent in his remarks that Harry took a long look at the omega on stage. He looked to be a little older than Harry, with blonde hair pushed into a quiff and bright blue eyes. He kept fidgeting, the chain linking his wrists rattling as he moved. There was something about this particular omega that Harry felt strongly about.

"I like this one," Liam murmured, tossing his bidding card from hand to hand. "Might buy him."

Harry glanced over in fear. Liam couldn't have that omega, no one could have him. Harry wanted him, Harry  _needed_  him.

Harry was going to have him.

He pulled his bidding card from his pocket, much to the surprise of Liam. Harry was barely listening as the auctioneer read out the omega's characteristics - quiet, friendly, energetic - a nervous feeling growing in the pit of his stomach as the bidding neared. What if someone else bought this omega? What if someone else took him home, used him, mistreated him? Harry felt he might explode with rage at the very thought of the omega curled up, crying in pain.

There seemed to be a bit of excitement for this omega. Most cards were raised, but Harry held his highest. Slowly, as the price rose, the cards were lowered, until only two remained - Harry's and Liam's.

"You said you didn't want one," Liam hissed, holding his card up higher.

"I don't want him; I need him," Harry replied.

Liam lowered his card and looked at him. "Need him?" He sighed. "Go on then. You can have him. God knows it'll do you a world of good."

Harry was presently announced the winner of the auction and the owner of the blonde omega. He was informed by a pretty girl in a miniskirt holding a clipboard that he could come up at the end of the auction to the desk just outside the entrance of the auction room and pay for his omega then. Harry just nodded, making a note of where the desk was located, and ordered another drink as she walked away.

He paid no more attention to the auction, glancing up every now and again at Liam's comments as before, but not as often. Harry found himself itching to retrieve his omega and disheartened that there was another hour left of the auction. He ordered virgin cocktails to occupy his time, venturing into beers in the last half hour or so.

Finally, a bell rang out to signal the end of the auction. Harry excused himself from Liam's presence and hurried - in a completely professional and hopefully not too eager way - towards the purchase desk.

The woman sitting behind the desk took one look at him and asked, "First purchase?"

He nodded breathlessly, his heart pounding at the thought of seeing his omega. Something was different, he could tell. This omega was special - to him, at least.

The women slid some forms over the desk towards him. "You need to fill out these forms. An address will also have to be provided so we can deliver your omega to you. Can I have your bidding card, please?"

The pen twitched in Harry's hand. "I- deliver?"

She nodded. "Most first purchases are impulse buys, so we allow twelve to twenty-four hours where we prepare the omega for its new owner. It also gives the buyer time to prepare the omega's accommodation. May I please have your bidding card?"

Harry handed over his card and filled out the forms. Accommodation was not something he'd considered, but now it was something he had to focus on. He could wait for twelve hours. It wasn't  _that_  long a time and besides, he'd waited this long for the arrival of that particular omega.

He'd have to get rid of his study. It was the only room in the house that he could change easily. How much would a bed and furniture cost, and would he be able to get them tonight? Maybe he could change the wallpaper and flooring as well, but that wouldn't be tonight.

Or his omega could sleep in his bed with him.

Harry licked his lips as he returned the forms to the woman behind the desk. She smiled and read over them, making a note of which omega he'd bought.

"As this is your first purchase with us, we're offering you an omega starter kit for half price and a month's guarantee. If your omega misbehaves or you just don't fit together, you can return it to us within thirty days for no fee," she explained.

"What's the starter kit?"

"It contains everything you may require to keep your omega in check: a leash, a collar, some tools if you desire to punish your omega, cuffs and chains." The woman gathered his papers together. "What do you think?"

Harry mused over the offer, but was interrupted by an impatient cough from behind him. "I'll take it," he said hurriedly, pulling out his wallet.

He paid for his omega and the kit, thanked the woman and headed out to his car. Once in the driver's seat, he paused and thought about what he'd done. He'd bought another human being, another person, and yet his initial disgust at the idea had disappeared. There was something different about this omega. It was almost as though this relationship was supposed to be, was destined; like soul mates.

Harry refused to believe it. There was no way he could walk into an auction house and find his mate standing on the platform. Surely it didn't work like that? Did they not have to talk a little before they could class it as mating?

As Harry started the engine, he realised he didn't care.

***

Harry hadn't slept. He'd tried, of course he had, but sleep just had not come to him. Instead, he'd spent the night preparing for his new omega, changing the bedsheets and going over the house to make sure it was spotless. As soon as the shops had opened, he'd gone out to stock his cupboards and make sure he had anything his omega could ever possibly want to eat.

It was because of these late night activities that when his omega actually did arrive, at one in the afternoon, Harry was passed out on the couch.

The loud knocking jolted him awake and he sat up, staring at the door in confusion. Another bout of knocking had him on his feet, peering through the peep hole of the door. On the other side of the door stood a man wearing the logo of the auction house Harry had been to yesterday. He was carrying a large box and a clipboard. Behind him stood another man wearing the same uniform and holding a leash. On the other end of the leash, with his hands cuffed in front of him, was the blonde omega.

_Harry's_  blonde omega.

He checked his appearance in the mirror beside the door, decided he looked a little too messy for a lawyer, and opened the door anyway. The exchange between Harry and the deliverymen was brief and completely business, aside from a few remarks made by the second deliveryman, said while tugging on the leash of the omega.

The omega didn't say anything, just looked painfully uncomfortable as the deliveryman holding onto him came out with blatant comments about what he'd do to him. Harry watched out of the corner of his eye as the omega physically shrank with every innuendo-laced sentence that came from the deliveryman's mouth. He wanted to send them away as fast as he could, just to make his omega more comfortable.

"Cuffs, collar and leash are already on him," the first deliveryman was saying. "Everything else in the starter kit's in this box. Month's guarantee, just as promised, the paperwork's in the box too. Return him within thirty days if there's something wrong." He glanced between Harry and the omega. "We'll leave you alone now."

The deliverymen left. The door swung shut on a now silent house, and Harry turned to face his omega. The boy was standing in the hall where he'd been left by the deliverymen, his hands still locked in front of him, the leash dangling down his chest from his collar. The omega wouldn't meet Harry's eye, keeping his head turned downwards.

Harry stepped towards him, watching for a reaction. The omega didn't move, though Harry could now see that he was trembling.

"Hi," Harry said, hating the strained sound in his voice. He found himself strangely nervous. This situation, having never occurred to him of happening before, was not turning out like he wanted to. "I'm Harry. What's your name?"

He cursed himself. That was so  _basic_ , so  _uninteresting_. Couldn't he do any better than "What's your name?" This omega would never take to him. Just looking at him, Harry felt the butterflies gather in the pit of his stomach, ready to take off.

"You name me," the omega whispered, pulling on his cuffs instinctively.

Harry frowned when he heard a tiny wince. He gently took hold of the omega's wrists and raised them, watching the omega shuffle uncomfortably. The cuffs were pretty easy to remove once the chain linking the cuffs had been unhooked. Underneath the cuffs, the omega's skin was bright red, rubbed raw by the restraints which had been fastened far too tight. Harry reached up, unbuckling the collar around the omega's neck.

"Surely you had a name before?" he asked, resting his hands on the omega's shoulders. "Come and sit down; we'll be more comfortable talking on the couch."

The omega followed Harry obediently, sitting on the very edge of the couch. Harry was beginning to get concerned; was this omega ever going to talk properly to him? From what he'd already said, Harry had heard a thick Irish accent and had fallen in love with his voice as well as his soul. He wondered if the blonde boy felt the same way.

"Niall," the omega replied, still avoiding Harry's gaze. "I was Niall."

"Then you're still Niall," Harry assured him, getting up from the couch. Niall made to follow him. "Stay here. Do you want something to drink?"

"Water, please." Niall hesitated and Harry turned back to him. "Master."

"Don't call me that, Niall. My name is Harry."

Harry picked up the starter kit, piling the equipment Niall had been wearing on top and carried the whole lot through to the kitchen. He left the box on the table and put the kettle on, watching the omega through the doorway. Niall was sitting on the couch, not moving. The Master thing was a little weird, but Harry had already guessed that Niall would have been through some sort of strict training. It would just take a while to wear off, that was all.

Niall. The name was almost as gorgeous as the boy. Harry wondered if Niall felt the same desire he felt while looking at the smaller boy. He poured a glass of water for the omega and hoped this feeling would last.

Steam billowed out of the kettle and Harry opened the starter kit. He was curious as to what it contained, and why it had been recommended. What was needed to care for another human being other than love? The collar and cuffs were sitting on the table next to the box and Harry already detested them. He knew it was the law, that all omegas must show ownership with collars and cuffs when out in public, but Harry swore he would never use them. Inside the box was an assortment of items that Harry couldn't identify at first. A chain lay coiled in the corner, most likely for the cuffs, and underneath that sat a flared anal plug. Harry didn't want to touch it, but it looked monstrously large. He avoided it, and took the pamphlet from the underside of the lid.

_Thank you for purchasing your first omega from us! We hope you enjoy your omega, and to help you along the way we have provided you with everything you may need to pleasure and punish your omega. This starter kit includes:_

_4x leather cuffs_

_1x leather collar and leash set_

_5x extra steel chains_

_3x anal plugs (in various sizes)_

_1x wooden paddle_

_3x vibrators (in various sizes and speed settings)_

_1x Caring For Your Omega Guide_

_We hope you return to us for future purchases!_

Harry dropped the pamphlet back into the box and closed the lid. The contents scared him. Surely those items weren't required for caring for an omega?

The kettle now boiled, he poured his tea and carried it and the glass of water back to the living room. Niall hadn't moved. Harry handed him his water and sat down with his tea.

"You can relax," he said, leaning backwards. "You've got nothing to fear here."

Niall stayed silent, sipping his water. Harry mulled over what he could say while he drank his tea. He watched Niall finish his water, keeping hold of the glass in his hand as though he was afraid to put it on the table. When Harry had finished his drink, he got to his feet again, taking the glass from Niall's stiff hand.

"I'll show you around, yeah?" Harry said, wandering through to the kitchen.

Without a word, Niall followed him. Harry took a tour of the house, the omega trailing along behind him. When they reached the bedroom, Harry hesitated. He knew that Niall probably expected to sleep in his bed, but Harry still felt bad about bringing it up almost straight away.

"This is our room," he said, stepping out of the way so Niall could look around.

The room was comfortable, but not personal. Wooden units were pushed against the walls, awaiting new clothes (Harry had already cleared space for Niall's admittedly few things), and the wooden bed frame held a thick mattress and heavy duvet. On the table to the right of the bed sat a lamp, a book, a candle and a framed photograph of Harry and his mother.

"The bathroom's just down the hall from here," Harry explained, as Niall stepped further into the room. "You can do whatever you want, you know. Don't feel like you have to sit on the couch all day."

"Can I rest for a while, Master?" Niall asked, his voice low.

"Of course. And Niall?" Harry smiled as Niall turned to him. "You don't have to call me Master."

***

Harry was halfway through the book in the starter kit, the  _Caring For Your Omega_  guidebook, when he heard his bedroom door open slowly. He smiled to himself, but didn't look around. The book had been quite helpful so far, explaining about the training procedures omegas went through before they were auctioned, why Niall was so nervous and quiet, and also how to properly look after an omega. Harry had skipped the majority of the latter section, which had mostly been thrown in with the first section marked as 'Top Tip!', and had detailed what to punish an omega for and how to go about doing it.

Harry curled his legs underneath him, leaving space on the couch for Niall, as the omega shuffled across the room towards him. He glanced up over the top of the page as Niall stopped in front of him and made to bend down, to sit on the floor as he'd been trained to do.

"You can sit on the couch, Niall," Harry said kindly, patting the space he'd left. "You can forget your training too, if you want. I'm not going to hurt you, and in all honesty I detest the system we have."

Niall frowned, and Harry noticed small wrinkles between his eyes. "You don't want me to be a slave?"

Harry could understand the confusion he heard in Niall's voice. The guide had explained the schooling and training omegas went through, and part of it was the complete indoctrination of the governmental system that was now in control. The system told the omegas that they were below alphas, inferior in every sense, and that they had to show their gratitude for not being killed at birth by serving the alphas in any way possible. All his life, Niall would have been exposed to the harshest and most violent alphas, specially trained to beat the system into the omegas, and now he was faced with an alpha that rejected the entire system. His confusion was not only understandable, but it was to be expected.

Harry shook his head and patted the couch again. "Just sit down. I only want a friend."

He felt it would be a bit forward to mention the whole 'I think we're mates' thing only a few hours after they'd met. He hadn't even had a full conversation with Niall yet. He'd thought long and hard about this. There was the slight possibility that the bonding was only one-sided, a rare occurrence, and if that was the situation here then Harry didn't want to alarm Niall. He'd decided that he would only mention his feelings if Niall showed similar signs towards him.

Niall sat down on the couch, on the edge of the seat again. Harry eyed him, taking in the tense, uncomfortable posture and the slight tremble in his hands. Niall's eyes were red, his cheeks a little blotchy. He'd been crying.

"Are you okay?" Harry asked, reaching over to place his hand on the omega's knee.

Niall flinched visibly, but didn't pull away. He hesitated, then shook his head. "I want to go home. I don't want to be here-" He slapped a hand over his mouth and looked at Harry, his eyes wide with fear.

Harry just smiled. "I get it. It's scary, you're afraid I'm going to hurt you, I know. I'm not, I promise. I just saw you on the stage and the person I was with wanted to buy you - I couldn't let that happen. I thought it would be better for you if I bought you instead."

This was partly true, but Niall didn't need to know any more than this at the moment.

Niall nodded slowly, lowering his hand. He stayed silent, and Harry didn't push him. He left the omega to curl up in the corner of the couch (at least he wasn't sitting on the edge any more) and went back to the guide. They sat like that for an hour, Niall occasionally shifting his position until he became comfortable, and Harry sank into the silence gratefully. It was a lot easier to be with Niall when there was no awkward conversation hanging in the air.

When the old grandfather clock chimed five, Harry got up from his seat and dropped the guide on the coffee table. Niall whipped his head round in fear, something Harry suspected was an involuntary reaction, but quickly relaxed again.

"Suppose we should eat something," Harry smiled, holding out his hand for Niall to take. "What's your favourite food?"

Harry felt Niall's hand fit perfectly into his own. A small thrill ran through him, which he fought to conceal, and he led Niall through to the kitchen. The small point of contact between them - the first time they'd touched each other's skin - warmed him, assured him the connection he'd felt when he first saw Niall was real. Niall himself seemed more relaxed.

"I don't know," he admitted. His voice sounded louder than before; he was growing more confident. "We weren't given anything with a taste."

"Well, what do you think you'd like?" Harry asked.

They stood in the middle of the kitchen. Niall looked around, seemingly awestruck, and began to open cupboards, pausing after the first one and looking back at Harry for approval. Harry just nodded encouragingly. Neither of them let go of the other's hand.

"There's so much food," Niall murmured, pulling open drawers.

Harry nodded slowly. "I didn't know what you'd like. Picked something?"

"Um..."

"You can have as much as you want. I don't suppose they fed you much?"

Niall shook his head, but refused to say anything else. Harry was satisfied with Niall's hand tensing in his own. Niall had lots of questions about the food, primarily what different meals tasted like, what sauces went with what meals, and what Harry thought was the tastiest. He seemed particularly fascinated with the various jars of curry sauce that Harry had bought the night before, and Harry marked it down to having always eaten tasteless food.

Niall held up a jar of curry sauce. "Can we have this?"

Harry raised his eyebrows. "Are you sure you don't want to start with something a little milder?"

"No, I want this." Immediately after the words had left his mouth, Niall blushed and pressed his lips together. He'd been taught what would happen if he demanded things.

Harry just laughed. "Alright, we'll have this then."

He swiped the jar from Niall's hand and stopped. Cooking meant letting go of Niall, and Harry didn't know if he was prepared for what would happen after that. The small point of contact between them felt like a fragile thread that would break the moment they separated.

But Niall was hungry, and Harry felt a greater desire to cook for his omega than to stay connected.

Harry released Niall's hand and immediately felt drained. Niall physically shrank, though not as much as before, and it seemed as though his new confidence had remained. The omega lingered in the kitchen, watching Harry cook, and fetching utensils when they were needed. Harry felt at peace for the first time in a long while, gratefully sinking into a silence that was finally comfortable. He didn't think it could get much better than their hands entwined.

Not until he turned to fetch a wooden spoon and nearly tripped over Niall.

Niall had been drifting closer and closer to the stove, where Harry was cooking. The spices in particular amazed him, because how could so much flavour be contained within those tiny shreds? Soon he was so close to Harry that he was almost pressed against his back, which was when Harry turned around. The alpha tripped over his own feet, and had to grab hold of Niall's arms to steady himself.

Harry looked up, slowly regaining his balance, and met Niall's eyes, bright blue and staring right back at him. He believed this was the first time they'd properly looked into each other's eyes. Niall's eyes were mesmerising. They were light blue at the edges, but gradually got darked towards the centre. Harry found himself hypnotised by them, and before he knew what he was doing, his fingers were stroking over Niall's cheeks. The omega's skin was soft, a little rugged, but under Harry's fingers it felt perfect.

Harry blinked, and realised he'd been gradually getting closer to Niall's face. They were millimetres apart now, and Harry's gaze was torn from Niall's eyes to rest on his lips. They looked so inviting, soft and pink. Harry fought the temptation. He couldn't, not so soon after they'd met. What if Niall didn't want to? There were too many risks; he couldn't.

Niall licked his lips, and Harry's resolve broke.

The omega didn't flinch or freeze or pull away when Harry kissed him; if anything, Niall pressed himself as close to the alpha as he could get. Harry tasted like mint and tea, his lips chapped but gentle. Warmth filled him as he clutched at Harry's t-shirt. They were as close as they could physically be, standing in the middle of the kitchen fully dressed, but it wasn't enough. Niall wanted to be even closer, to feel Harry's soul, to give him everything.

Harry had wrapped his arms tightly around Niall's waist, his fingers creeping under the thin t-shirt the omega wore. The rules were that omegas should always be naked in the household, and Harry and originally intended to ignore it, but if only half the pleasure he was feeling just now came from skin-to-skin contact then maybe they'd both wander around naked. Niall's lips were soft, just as he'd guessed, and he tasted surprisingly like strawberries.

They were absorbed in each other, so much so that when they pulled apart from each other, it was only because Harry could smell burning.

"Shit! The food!"

***

Three hours after their marginally burnt dinner, Harry was lounging on the couch, Niall lying against his chest. Since they'd first kissed not too long ago, they'd been reluctant to let go of each other and had maintained contact almost constantly, be it from cuddling on the couch or hooking their ankles together under the dining table.

There had been a lot more kissing since dinner, much to Harry's delight. As far as he knew, Niall had the same feelings about him, had felt the instant connection, and Harry had gone as far as to mention it. Niall had smiled, and assured him that the love-at-first-sight feeling was mutual.

Now, Harry was growing slightly impatient with kisses. His hand stroked down Niall's bare chest - both of them had stripped down to their underwear not too long ago, exploring every inch of each other's body with their palms - teasing along the edge of the omega's boxers. The alpha nipped at the back of Niall's neck.

Niall twisted to face him and immediately they were kissing again.

"Niall," Harry breathed, his heart racing just from being near the boy he was now sure was his mate. "I want to do something  _more_."

"Me too." Niall's head was tilted back as Harry kissed along his jaw, and his voice was so strained that Harry nearly missed his reply. "But not here."

Harry got the hint. He slipped his arms under the omega and lifted him effortlessly. When Niall's shirt had first come off, Harry had been concerned at just how thin the omega was, how his ribs poked out from beneath his skin, and how numerous bruises blossomed like purple flowers across his abdomen. He'd made Niall take seconds, and dessert, and had fetched an ice pack for the bruises. The same ice pack was melting on the coffee table, abandoned after a few minutes in which both boys had decided their time was better spent on top of each other.

Harry carried Niall through to the bedroom and laid him on the bed, kicking the door shut behind him. The bedroom looked less intimidating to Niall, particularly the bed, now that he was looking forward to sharing it with Harry. He watched as the alpha rummaged around in the bedside drawer and slipped a hand beneath his waistband. Harry kicked off his boxers, seemingly forgetting Niall was waiting, and fiddled with something the drawer.

"Turn around," he said, glancing over at the omega, "and take your boxers off. You won't need them."

Niall did as he was told, a sharp thrill running through him at Harry's dominance. He supposed there would always be a part of him that was submissive, an unmistakeable omega characteristic, and yet he didn't care. He was with Harry, the person he'd figured out to be his mate, and it was all that really mattered. What they were about to do made his heart beat faster, and he felt as though it would burst from his chest like something from a cartoon.

Harry's hand gently guided him into the position Harry wanted him in: on all fours, with his head bowed to the bedsheets. It was a position Niall had often found himself in during the training period he'd been forced to endure, and although he'd originally hated this position and all it represented in training, the fact that  _Harry_  was the one putting him in this position made everything different. He'd let Harry do anything to him now, he was in a completely reversed position from earlier in the day, when he'd been terrified about who Harry might turn out to be. Their bond had given him an undying trust in his alpha.

Niall felt Harry's fingers, covered in something cold and wet, rubbing gently over his hole. This was not a new sensation; only this morning had he been in a similar position, though the deliveryman had not been as gentle as Harry. It was a process all omegas had to go through before they were delivered, on account of the many omegas who had been returned as damaged goods. The people who bought omegas were not the type to take the time to properly look after them, preferring instead to just use them whenever they felt like it. Niall was beyond pleased that he had gotten Harry over everyone else.

"They did that earlier," he told Harry. "You don't need to."

"I want to," Harry replied, slipping one finger into Niall.

Harry moved slowly, drawing out both Niall's desperation and his own. He found that he wanted to fuck Niall hard and fast, a desire he was unfamiliar with. Niall was loose, definitely having been fingered earlier today, but Harry wanted to do everything with him. He wanted to explore places, experience new things, all with Niall by his side.

He made a mental note to look at plane tickets when he was done.

"Harry," Niall moaned, reaching around to paw at the alpha's leg.

Harry snapped back to the moment at hand, not entirely sure how he'd managed to drift off. He was three fingers deep in Niall, unsure of how he had managed to slip another two fingers in while he'd been daydreaming. Niall was desperate now, Harry could tell, and he decided to save him from his misery by pulling away from him completely.

" _Harry_ ," Niall huffed, wiggling his bum in the air enticingly.

Harry laughed. "Give me a second."

He rolled a condom on, though reluctantly. Harry felt entirely sure that Niall was not infected with anything, but he didn't want to find out the hard way. The guide recommended a condom the first time around anyway, and Harry generally did things by the book, if the book didn't concern dehumanising omegas.

Niall was tight and hot. The omega whined when Harry pushed his tip in, trying to shuffle backwards and take more. Harry growled, surprising himself, and Niall immediately stopped moving. It was in Harry's nature as an alpha to be a little dominant, just as it was in Niall's to be a little submissive. Harry wanted to tease Niall a little longer, to make the omega beg and plead below him, but his desperation to be inside him won and he pressed himself into Niall as fast as he dared.

Niall whined and clutched at the bedsheets. He was no virgin - they made sure of that in the auction houses and in training - but he'd never been with an alpha before. Every organisation that sold and trained omegas employed only betas when it came to handling them. It reduced the chances of imprinting and bonding. Niall had been fucked by a beta before; it hadn't been nearly as gentle or as invigorating as being with Harry. He felt his newly kindled love for the alpha growing with every touch between them.

Harry forced Niall onto his stomach, kneeling over the top of him, nipping at his neck. He wanted it rough and hard, but he had to remind himself that Niall was probably still new to this, and that he should go easy on him. There would be loads of chances for fast, hard sex, but this was not one of them.

Harry slowed, biting into the back of Niall's neck possessively. Niall yelped, but the pain faded quickly and he rocked against the bedsheets as Harry sucked bruises into his back. They felt united, as though they were one soul in two bodies.

Harry pulled out, leaving Niall whimpering on the bedsheets. He wasn't finished yet, though Niall seemed to think he was, clawing at his legs and frantically mumbling something. Harry chuckled and helped Niall over onto his back, lifting his legs and leaning them against his shoulders, before plunging straight back into the omega.

Niall's reaction was one initially of surprise and a little of pain, but his moans were no longer muffled by the sheets. Harry began to move faster, taking Niall's cock in his hand and stroking it as fast as he could thrust. His legs began to tremble, but he fought to keep himself kneeling.

Niall came first, messily dripping over Harry's hand. Harry kept thrusting until Niall began to whimper, sensitive to the alpha's every move. When he finally came, Harry swiftly removed the condom, tied it in a knot and threw it in the bin before collapsing on top of Niall, immediately pressing kisses to his neck. The omega giggled - the sound made Harry's heart melt - and slid his arms around Harry's sweaty torso.

"I wasn't too bad, was I?" Harry asked, a little breathless.

Niall shook his head. "Terrible. We're going to have to keep doing it until you get it right."

Harry was surprised at his confidence, but was pleased. He laughed and rolled off of Niall, stretching out across the bed beside him. "We can start in the morning," he declared, stifling a yawn. "Today was a big day."

Niall cuddled up beside him and Harry slid his arm around the omega's shoulders. "You're not going to send me back, are you?" Niall whispered.

"Course not," Harry replied, pressing a kiss to the omega's forehead. "You have so much to teach me about sex. I'll have to wait and see how great of a teacher you are first."

"I'd better not be rubbish then, eh?"

They chuckled, and Harry pressed another kiss to Niall's forehead. There was no way in the world he'd send Niall back. Not when he felt this blissful just from touching him. Harry was finally convinced that mates existed. He wasn't going to just give his up on a whim.


	2. Part Two

The pair fell into a routine so domestic anyone would think they'd been married for years. Harry returned to work the next day, his thoughts constantly on Niall as he sat at his desk, did paperwork, and made small talk with Liam. Niall wandered around the house, watching TV or reading some of the various cookbooks in the kitchen, his mind on Harry.

By the third day of this routine, Harry was using most of his lunch break to have phone sex in the bathroom with Niall.

It was a week after Niall arrived when things started to go wrong. Harry woke up and rolled over, expecting to end up on top of Niall as usual. They'd figured out that, while Harry was the alpha and Niall was the omega, Harry was definitely the little spoon and Niall was the big spoon, and had slept like that ever since. This morning, however, Harry rolled over to find the bed empty.

"Niall?" Harry called, sitting up.

The bedroom was deserted. So was the front room, and the study. The bathroom door was ajar, and through the gap he could hear soft whimpers. Immediately, Harry became concerned, and pushed the door open gently.

"Niall?" he asked again, quieter this time.

The omega was sitting on the toilet lid, his hand around his dick, stroking wildly. From the drying cum on his chest and the raw red skin of his dick, Niall had been sitting there for a while. He opened his eyes, spotted Harry, and whined.

"Niall, what's wrong?" Harry asked, kneeling in front of him.

"It hurts," Niall whispered. "It hurts, Harry."

"You need to stop, Niall," Harry said, pulling the omega's hand away from his dick. "You're going to end up bleeding, you need to  _stop."_

"It hurts when I stop, but it hurts when I don't stop too!" Niall tried pulling his hand away from Harry, but the alpha's grip was too strong. Instead, he whimpered and started to cry. "Make it stop, Harry. Make it  _stop_."

Harry picked him up and carried him through to the bedroom. He left Niall on the bed, curled up into a ball and whimpering, while he skimmed through the  _Caring For Your Omega Guide_. It mentioned nothing about an omega experiencing pain. Terrified, Harry phoned Liam.

"Niall's in pain and I don't know why," Harry rattled off as soon as Liam picked up the phone.

"Is he wanking?" Liam asked, yawning into the receiver.

"Yeah, and it looks painful." Harry cast a nervous glance back at the bedroom door.

"He's in heat. He'll be sex-crazed for a week. You need to pick up some suppressants or something."

"Suppressants?"

"Yeah, didn't you get the starter kit?"

"There weren't any suppressants in it."

"Then pick some up. It's too late now, of course, but after this is over you'll need to get some. You'll have to take the week off work to look after him until then. Give him what he wants and he'll be fine. Don't let him wank constantly though, he'll end up bleeding, and he'll wank if his hands are free."

"How do I stop him then?" Harry asked. Though he was worried about Niall, there was a small part of him that felt excited at the thought of relentless sex for an entire week.

"You've got the collar, cuffs and chain, right? Use them. Make sure to chain his hands at the top of his back, to his collar, or he'll be able to finger himself and that's a whole other disaster."

"I don't like chaining him up."

"You've not got much choice just now. It's either you chain him up, or he wanks himself raw, and trust me, hospitals are not a good place for an omega. They become everyone's property there."

Harry sighed. "If it's for his own good, then perhaps..."

"Of course it's for his own good. Oh, and Harry? Did you get toys in the starter kit?"

"Yeah, but I haven't touched them. Why?"

"You're going to need them this week. Your omega'll hurt you if you insist on fucking him over and over again; you won't be able to keep up and you need to sleep. Use the toys. Also, because Niall's in heat, you'll knot, so don't panic if you get stuck."

Harry nodded, realised Liam couldn't see him, and then hung up on him. He phoned his work and explained the situation with his cheeks glowing, but managed to escape before Janice the secretary began the story of how her ex-boyfriend's omega had gone through heat as a punishment. Harry tossed the phone on the couch and dug the starter kit out from the cupboard.

He carried it through to the bedroom, sitting it at the end of the bed. Niall was still curled into a ball, but was silent now. His shoulders shook, and when Harry forcibly uncurled him, he found the omega still masturbating. Fresh cum was dripping down his cock.

"Niall, you're hurting yourself," Harry snapped, gathering the omega's wrists together in his right hand. With his left, he rummaged through the starter kit. "I don't want to do this, but I need to stop you from hurting yourself."

Niall whimpered as the cuffs were fastened on around his wrists. He fought the collar, but Harry forced him onto his stomach and used his advantage to fasten the collar around his throat. Harry unclipped the chains and readjusted the angle Niall's arms were at before chaining the omega's wrist cuffs to the back of his collar. With a sigh, Harry rolled Niall back onto his front; the omega's eyes were wild and he'd been trying to grind against the bedsheets.

"Liam says this is heat, and it lasts a week," Harry said, sitting on Niall's thighs. The omega bucked his hips upwards. "If you're going to keep rubbing yourself raw, you'll have to stay chained up until this is over." Niall whimpered again. "I'm sorry, but I don't have a choice. I don't want you to keep hurting yourself."

Harry leaned over to the bedside unit and retrieved the lube. Niall's eyes lit up as Harry spread it over his fingers, spreading Niall's legs apart. His hole was open, something Harry had not expected, and was leaking a clear liquid. Harry looked between his fingers and Niall's hole.

"Looks like we won't be needing the lube," he muttered, tossing the tube to the floor. "If I'm hurting you, Niall, tell me and I'll stop."

"Don't want you to stop," the omega muttered, pushing his hips towards Harry's hand.

"I haven't started yet," Harry muttered, pushing his finger into Niall.

The omega moaned, arching his back. Harry slipped in three fingers a second later and Niall shrieked. The alpha quickly removed his fingers, terrified that he'd hurt Niall. To his surprise, Niall shook his head.

"No, no, put them back, I need more!" he panted, his chest heaving.

Harry hesitantly pushed all three fingers against Niall's rim, feeling the hole give way easily. He fucked Niall on his fingers until the omega came, not too long after they'd began, and went limp on the bed. Harry fetched a glass of water.

"Harry," Niall breathed, leaning against his alpha and sipping at the water as Harry held the glass to his lips. "Fuck me, please."

"Niall, you'll be too sensitive."

"M'not, promise. Need you to fuck me again. Hard."

Harry raised his eyebrows. They'd had nothing but gentle, slow sex for the past week, and he'd thought Niall wanted nothing more than that. This request surprised him, and he took a moment to think properly. It was everything he'd wanted, and everything he'd been too scared to suggest. Even the toys in the starter kit, the toys that had originally made him worry about Niall's safety, began to look appealing.

"Harry, please."

Harry met Niall's eye and put the glass on the bedside table. "It'll make you feel better?"

The omega nodded eagerly. "It's the only thing that'll take away the pain."

Harry was sold.

Niall was already half-hard, and Harry moved him until he was in the position he wanted: on his knees with his face pressed against the mattress and his bum in the air. Harry rubbed gently over his cheeks, reaching between his legs to stroke his cock a few times. Niall gasped, shifting uncomfortably, and Harry remembered the raw skin there. He took his hand away fast and stroked his own cock, preparing himself for what he was about to do. The scent coming from Niall turned him on, as it was supposed to, and Harry felt himself grow hard very quickly.

He knelt up behind Niall, pushing the tip of his cock into the omega and listening to the sounds he made. As he slowly pushed further in, aware that any move he made could hurt Niall, he listened to the pants and moans coming from the omega and his confidence grew. Niall didn't seem like he was in pain, but Harry wanted to be absolutely sure before he even thought about the rough, hard fucking Niall had begged for.

As the thought ran through his mind, Harry groaned and bottomed out faster than he'd intended to. Niall whimpered and Harry immediately froze, but the omega pushed his hips downwards, grinding on Harry's dick, and Harry relaxed. He wasn't bringing pain, he reminded himself as he took a tight hold of Niall's hips. He was bringing pleasure.

Niall cried out every time their hips bumped together. Harry knew he should be loose, he'd managed to fit three fingers in there after all, yet Niall seemed impossibly tight and warm. He kept moving, pushing himself into Niall with more force each time, until the omega was openly crying into the bedsheets. Harry had stopped when he'd started, only to have Niall flap his bound hands frantically and beg for him to keep going.

Harry was breathless when Niall finally came, lying limp against the sheets while his alpha continued to fuck him. He mumbled something under his breath and Harry stopped briefly, pulling out to roll Niall onto his back.

"Are you okay?" Harry asked quietly, reaching out to touch Niall's face. The omega's eyes were closed and his lips moved silently.

His eyes opened, unfocused and blurry, but he managed to focus on Harry. "Have you knotted me yet?" he asked, his voice rising and falling in volume randomly. "Knot me!"

Harry rolled his eyes - Niall was just dazed from his orgasm, that was all - and pulled the omega onto his lap, fumbling until he managed to slide his dick back into Niall. The omega grumbled something about being held up like this, but Harry began to rock his hips and Niall fell silent, leaning against Harry's shoulder and letting out one low, continuous moan.

When Harry came, he practically exploded with lust. He'd never knotted anyone before, and Niall had clearly never been knotted either since he screamed with pleasure, biting into Harry's shoulder by accident and drawing a little blood. Harry held Niall tighter, his arms around the omega's waist, peppering his face with tiny kisses while he tried to work out exactly what he was feeling.

Part of it was love for Niall and the way he was letting Harry just use him, but another part was pure lust. If Niall was going to be like this  _all week_  then Harry was going to have a lot of fun, and if this happened every month then there was no way Harry was buying suppressants. Niall's body appealed to him in every way, both sexually and romantically, and Harry wanted both to cover every inch of Niall with gentle kisses by candlelight, and to fuck him until he was raw and screaming for more.

The only minor disadvantage of the knot, other than Harry's eyes becoming almost completely black (Niall would tell him afterwards that he looked a little like a demon), was that they were stuck together and neither of them knew how long for. Harry balanced Niall on his lap and reached behind the omega's head, fumbling with the catch on the chains.

He hesitated. "Niall?"

The omega merely grunted, still half asleep on his shoulder.

"If I untie you, will you promise not to hurt yourself?"

There was no reply, but Harry firmly believed that Liam had been overly cautious and that there was no need for the restraints at all. He carefully took the chains from Niall's wrists one at a time, guiding his arms down to their natural position. The chains were tossed aside, but Harry left the cuffs. He was beginning to admire how they signified his possession, how they showed that this beautiful omega was his and only his, used for sex and nothing more.

Harry knew it was the lust talking, but he was beginning to agree.

Niall's arms slid up his body, clutching at Harry's neck. "M'hungry," he murmured, licking gently at the wound he'd made in Harry's shoulder. "Can I have something to eat?"

Harry sighed. They were in such an awkward position, and Niall wanted food  _now_? He wasn't sure if he'd manage it, but Harry eventually managed to shuffle off the bed, his hands cupping Niall's bum and holding him up, carrying the omega as though he was a baby through to the kitchen.

Niall raised his head, still bleary eyed and trembling delicately, and picked out what he wanted. Harry cooked with Niall wrapped around his body, bouncing slightly on Harry's dick every now and again, making the alpha hiss. After about twenty minutes, Harry felt himself go soft, but the pair stayed connected until the cooking was finished.

Niall ate with vigour, pushing away his plate and playing with the leather cuffs while Harry finished eating. When he spoke, Harry believed he hadn't heard him right, and stared at him in disbelief until Niall sighed and repeated himself.

"I like them."

Harry followed his finger. He was pointing at the cuffs.

"They're comfortable," Niall continued, slumping lower in his seat.

"That's because they're not as tight as they should be," Harry replied. "There're supposed to be tight to the skin - I can get three of my fingers between the cuff and your wrist. I made sure of it. Out in public, they'd have to be much tighter."

Niall pouted. "I have been stuck inside since I got here, haven't I?"

"That's because I want to walk around holding your hand, not your leash. You're also in heat, if you'd forgotten, and I don't want every alpha drooling over you."

Harry realised how snappy he'd sounded once he'd finished speaking. Niall looked deflated, folding his arms over his chest.

"Why don't we just hold each other's hands then?"

"Because I'll be arrested and you'll be resold."

His eyes suddenly widened. "I don't want to leave you. I'll stay inside if I have to, just please don't go away."

"I'm not going to leave you," Harry assured him. "That won't happen. We'll work around it."

Niall nodded and fell silent, staring moodily at the table. Harry finished his meal and took both their plates to the sink. Once he'd washed them, he turned to leave the room only to find Niall standing right behind him, his eyes needy, a slight whine in his voice.

"Harry? I think I need you to fuck me again."

***

By the time he collapsed into bed that night, Harry had knotted three times that day. He hadn't been able to keep up with Niall, and so had been forced to use the toys provided in the starter kit to satisfy his omega. The undeniable lust that had arrived with his first knot was still hanging around him, strengthened by the smell of sweat and sex coming from Niall's skin.

Niall lay beside him, whimpering in his sleep. The omega had fallen asleep almost as soon as he'd hit the pillow - right after his tenth orgasm of the day. Harry had counted, and was sure it was a record of some kind. He'd been stuck inside the slumbering omega for a good half hour, waiting until his knot died down before showering. When he'd returned to the bedroom, Harry had found Niall rutting against the mattress and fondling himself in his sleep, and had been reduced to chaining the omega's hands to the headboard to stop him from hurting himself again.

Harry slept soundly until a quiet, pleading voice woke him. "Harry. Harry, please, I need you to fuck me again."

Harry rolled over, frowning at Niall's desperate gaze. "No. It's like four in the morning."

"But I'm in pain!" The omega shuffled against the sheets, but the wrist restraints prevented him from rolling over. "Harry,  _please_."

"Go back to sleep, Niall."

Harry rolled over, facing away from Niall, and tried to get back to sleep. The omega's constant whimpers were verging on annoying, the bed moving as he tried to rub himself against the thin sheet covering him. Harry pressed one of his pillows over his head, slowly but surely drifting off to sleep.

Until he was woken by a kick to his thighs.

Harry sat up. "Can't you just sleep?"

" _No_."

"Well fine, but we do this on my terms."

Harry rearranged the chains holding Niall to the headboard, bringing his wrists together so the alpha could grab his hips and twist him around. Niall mewled as his face hit the pillow, clutching the top of the headboard to help him lift his head. Harry was lifting his hips, making him kneel while keeping his head down low, and Harry's large hands spread his cheeks apart.

"You get to cum  _once_ , hear me? Then I'm going to sleep and you can suffer by yourself."

Harry's grumpiness was slowly fading at the smell coming from Niall's skin. His hole was red, wet and slick with the natural lube he produced, ready and waiting for Harry. For a moment, the alpha considered fucking him again. His original plan was better - they hadn't done it before - and he doubted he could get it up this late at night, after so much during the day.

Niall's legs tensed as Harry breathed on his hole. He wasn't sure what Harry had in mind, but at this point as long as it was semi-pleasurable it would get him off. Harry's breath, warm and heavy, stopped for a moment. Niall waited anxiously; the possibility of Harry just teasing him, working him up and then leaving him to suffer through till the morning had crossed his mind more than once.

Something wet touched his hole. The sensation made his rim flutter and he howled. Harry shoved his head into the pillow.

"Niall, for fuck's sake, I have neighbours," he hissed, though he was secretly pleased at the omega's reaction.

"Sorry," Niall muttered, raising his head a little.

Harry rolled his eyes and spread the omega's cheeks a little further apart, ducking his head to press his tongue flat against Niall's hole. He licked upwards a few times, softly, and Niall squirmed. Harry smiled, rubbing the flat of his thumb down Niall's crack and licking off the lube that was slowly dripping down towards the sheets. The lube tasted surprisingly good, unlike the manufactured lubes that Harry regularly bought, and he liked to imagine that this was what Niall would taste like.

Harry stiffened his tongue and pushed it past the omega's rim, revelling in the noises Niall made, the little whimpers and the muffled moans. He drew back a little, watching a mixture of his spit and Niall's juices dribbling down towards the sheets, before heading straight back in, tongue fucking Niall until the omega came, his body going slack under Harry's large, strong hands.

Despite his earlier doubt, Harry was now hard, aroused by the sounds coming from Niall's mouth and the smell coming from his hole. He waited until Niall could hold himself up, then slid into him in one fluid movement. Niall gasped, rocking forward and sliding along Harry's dick a little. Harry met the omega's hips, gripping Niall's shoulders to hold them together.

"I thought you said I could only cum once tonight?" Niall asked, trying to turn his head to look at Harry.

"Changed my mind," the alpha replied, cutting off anything else Niall planned to say with one harsh thrust.

Harry found it almost too easy to make Niall cum again. Normally, they could last a long time in bed, their record being forty-five minutes with careful planning. In the end, their lust for each other always won out relatively quickly, and tonight was no different. Niall came first, only a few minutes after Harry had started a rhythm, and Harry himself came soon after, listening to the soft, breathless noises Niall made whenever their hips met.

Harry rolled over to his side of the bed, staring at the ceiling. "If I untie you," he panted, "do you promise not to hurt yourself?"

Niall nodded, his eyes tightly shut. "Promise," he breathed, tugging on the chains.

Harry propped himself up on one elbow and unhooked the chains from the cuffs, pulling Niall's limp body across the sheets. The omega moulded to Harry's back, taking hold of his wrist.

"Harry," Niall murmured, his voice making Harry's skin tingle. "I want to ask you something."

"Then ask."

"Don't laugh."

"I won't."

Niall hesitated. "Would it be okay if - after this heat is over - would it be okay if we could still have sex with the chains?"

Harry couldn't help himself; he laughed. Niall rolled away from him, but the alpha dragged him back, pressing kisses all over Niall's sweaty chest.

"Of course we can. Did you think I'd say no?" Harry chuckled, cupping the back of Niall's head. "We can do whatever you want."

"Anything?"

"Anything."

"What are your thoughts on whipped cream?"

Harry started laughing again, and held his omega close until the morning.

***

Four days passed and Harry began to stop restraining Niall. He still wore the cuffs - he'd decided he liked them as long as they were loose - but he stopped hurting himself. Harry was there whenever he needed a release, more than happy to help. Neither of them left the house for an entire week.

Harry lay on his side in the bed. Niall was flat on his back beside him, his arms underneath his head, his eyes closed peacefully. Harry knew he wasn't asleep, they'd only just finished fucking and Niall never went to sleep straight away, but kept quiet and drew his finger through the small puddle of both his and Niall's cum that had pooled on Niall's stomach. With a quiet giggle, Harry pushed it into Niall's bellybutton, closing one hand around the omega's cock.

"Is it rising again?" Harry asked, teasing Niall's slit with the tip of his thumb.

Niall whimpered and pushed Harry away. "No, but you're hurting me."

"Really? I thought you could go for ages in heat."

"I can." Niall crinkled his nose. "I think it's over."

Harry blinked at him. "Over? Has it already been a week?"

"Doesn't have to be an exact week, just long enough to get fucked." Niall opened his eyes. "I don't feel it anymore. Can you smell it?"

Harry inhaled deeply, tucking his face into the crook of Niall's neck. The scent coming from the omega was one of sweat, sex, and Niall's own smell that he loved, but Harry could only smell the tiniest hint of the heat that had crazed his omega. He felt a strange sense of disappointment, but the alpha obsession that had taken over him was still present.

"Why do I still feel like I need to knot then?" Harry asked, absently dipping his fingers in the cum gathered in Niall's bellybutton, sucking it from his fingers.

Niall shrugged, some of the cum dribbling down his stomach and onto the bedsheets. "Maybe you need to go out with a bang, or something? A big finish? Did you knot just now?"

"No, I came on your stomach." Harry gestured to his bellybutton. "See?"

Niall reached down underneath him. Harry was focused on his face that only when Niall moaned softly did he realise the omega was fingering himself.

"I'm still lubricated," Niall said.

"Wouldn't that hurt you though?" Harry's gaze dropped to Niall's stomach as it rumbled angrily. "And you're hungry."

"I kind of want to know what it feels like to cum more than once when I'm not in heat," Niall replied, "and we can do it in the kitchen, so you can cook at the same time."

Harry sat up. "You're sure you want this?"

"Yes."

The alpha nodded slowly. "Okay." Harry picked Niall up, intending to carry him through to the kitchen, but hesitated in the bedroom doorway. "Can I ask something first? Would you be mad if I was really, really dominant this one time?"

Niall cupped Harry's cheek and reached up to kiss him. "I'd like that."

"Good."

Harry carried Niall through to the kitchen, sitting him on the worktop. He fetched the box from the cupboard, where it had lay gathering dust, and dug the chains out. Niall offered his wrists and Harry chained them together and around one of the bars on the spice rack nailed to the wall behind Niall's head. The next thing out of the box was the cuffs for Niall's ankles. They'd rarely been used before now. Niall's legs were spread and fastened to either end of the spice rack.

"Try not to pull that off the wall please," Harry said, pointing at the rack.

"Depends how hard you fuck me," Niall replied cheekily.

Harry rolled his eyes. Already he was growing hard, though Niall was not. Again, he worried about hurting the omega, but he'd have to trust that Niall would be fine if he said so. Besides, it wasn't as though Niall wouldn't tell him if he was in too much pain.

Harry went back to the box. He was determined to make this last, and that meant ravishing Niall's body in any and all ways possible. Right at the bottom of the box were the vibrators; black, rubbery things in various lengths and widths. The two smaller ones had already been used earlier in the week, but the largest remained untouched. Harry pulled it out, showing it to Niall.

"Do you think you can take this?" he asked, waving the toy.

Niall nodded. "Yeah, I can take that."

Harry stood between Niall's legs, slipping two fingers into his hole. The omega was still producing lube, and Harry's fingers slid in all the way easily. He added a third, and leaned on the worktop as he fingered Niall.

Niall's head fell back quickly, his soft lips parted. His hole was red and sore, but Harry's fingers felt so good inside him he didn't want the alpha to stop. Every time Harry's fingers slid into him, he felt a spark of electricity melding them together. His hips bucked upwards and despite the pain he found himself slowly getting hard again.

Harry pulled out his fingers and sucked the lube from them, meeting Niall's wide-eyed gaze as he did so. He felt calm and confident, in control, and he knew everything he did would pleasure Niall. Still maintaining eye contact, he picked up the vibrator, licking over the tip of it. With his other hand, he stretched Niall open and slowly pushed the toy into him.

Niall gasped and his eyes fluttered shut. Harry kept his pace steady, pushing the toy into him until it was at the base. Niall was biting his lip, seemingly pained.

"Are you okay?" Harry asked, tickling the back of the omega's knee.

Niall's leg twitched violently. "Don't, I'm ticklish," he whined. "I'm good though."

"Sure?"

"Sure."

Harry pumped the vibrator a little before he pushed it all the way down to the base. He turned it on to the lowest setting, and Niall immediately moaned. Harry stepped back, looking over his omega all chained up and spread open. He could ruin Niall if he wanted to. It would be almost too easy to ruin him beyond all recovery.

Harry shook his head. Where did that come from? Niall looked exhausted already, his head dropped back and his hips bucking ever so slightly. A fresh coat of sweat was beginning to cover his skin. Harry leaned between Niall's legs, his stomach pressing against the edge of the worktop, and took Niall's cock into his mouth.

Niall moaned loudly, pulling on the cuffs and rattling the spice rack against the wall. Harry noticed, and let Niall's cock fall from his mouth.

"Don't pull the spice rack down," he said crossly, long fingers curling around the base of Niall's dick and squeezing until the omega whimpered.

"I won't," Niall whispered, peeking through long eyelashes to meet Harry's controlling gaze.

Harry waited a moment, then released Niall's cock to raise the vibration setting on the toy. The omega writhed on the worktop, but Harry pushed his hips firmly down against the counter and took the head of Niall's cock into his mouth again. He sucked Niall off until his own cock rubbed against the unit. Harry couldn't take it anymore. He was enjoying teasing Niall, but both of them wouldn't last much longer and Harry was dying to knot.

Harry climbed onto the worktop between Niall's legs, pushing the omega back uncomfortably against the spice rack. He swiftly pulled out the vibrator and, before Niall's hole had fully closed, shoved himself into the omega. Niall yelled out, his hands curling into useless fists, but Harry was overtaken by lust and control. The alpha fucked Niall mercilessly, grabbing his taut thighs at first before moving up to lock his hands behind the omega's head.

Harry forced Niall to keep eye contact with him. The omega faltered as he came, head dropping in Harry's grip, a small scream making it past his red, swollen lips. Harry kept going, fucking the omega mechanically, until he felt himself weakening. He slouched on top of Niall, his knot swelling inside the omega's puffy, sore hole, eliciting a whine of pain from him. Harry took a moment to gather himself, then unchained Niall from the spice rack, holding the omega close to his chest.

Both of them were sweaty and panting. They held each other, Niall's weak arms curling around Harry's torso, sitting atop the counter. Eventually, Harry began to work.

"What?" Niall murmured, his eyes sliding closed.

"I didn't cook anything," Harry replied. "I'm  _starving_. Let's just order dinner tonight."

"Will we be separated by the time it gets here?"

"Who cares?" Harry lifted his head from Niall's shoulder and smiled sleepily at the omega. "I love you."

Niall smiled back, pressing a light kiss to Harry's jaw. "I love you too."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is definitely becoming a full story, if you guys want it. Tell me what you think?
> 
> Night-Walkers: http://archiveofourown.org/works/782992/chapters/1475708  
> Twitter: http://twitter.com/nightwalkersff  
> Tumblr: http://nightwalkersff.tumblr.com  
> Poll: http://www.poll-maker.com/poll247904xE66b44CF-10
> 
> There is also a new wattpad account for anyone who prefers to use that. Night-Walkers and Lone Wolf have both been posted there: http://www.wattpad.com/user/TessNW


	3. Part Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're also a fan of Night-Walkers, the sequel has been posted! It's called Sunlight and you can find it on any of the usual accounts :)

Harry's alarm broke the early morning silence in the dark bedroom., The alpha groaned and dragged himself from the bed and Niall's arms. It was the morning after the end of Niall's heat, and Harry had to go back to work.

Niall slept on as Harry showered and dressed. It was only when Harry was sitting in front of the TV with a bowl of cereal on his knee that Niall emerged from the bedroom. The omega hopped over the back of the couch and crawled under Harry's arm to lie his head on the alpha's lap.

"Morning," Harry hummed, lifting his bowl to make space for Niall.

"Why are you dressed?" Niall asked, tugging at Harry's work trousers. "Where are you going?"

"I have to go to work, and then I have to go shopping," Harry chuckled, finishing his breakfast. "You're eating us out of house and home."

Niall sat up eagerly. "Can I come shopping with you?"

Harry hesitated. "I was going to go straight after work."

"Couldn't you just come and pick me up? Or I could get the bus-"

"You're not getting the bus," Harry said immediately. "Buses are dangerous for omegas.  _Everywhere_  is dangerous for omegas."

Niall's face dropped. "Fine. But I'm starting to go crazy being stuck inside all day."

"I know." Harry placed his bowl on the coffee table and cupped Niall's face. "I'll think about it, okay? I'll let you know at lunch, when I phone you." Harry slid his hand between Niall's legs and pushed one finger against his hole. Niall whined. "You still have to recover from your heat anyway, so maybe today isn't the best day."

Harry leaned forward to kiss Niall, sliding one arm around the omega's waist. Niall pressed himself against Harry's chest, wrapping the alpha's tie around his fist. Chuckling, Harry pried the garment gently from Niall's grip. He caught a glimpse of the clock on the wall.

"Shit. I need to go." Harry pulled out of Niall's grip and stood up. "Do you want your cuffs on?"

"Yes please."

"Wrists?"

"And collar. I want to do that thing again."

Harry rolled his eyes. Midway through his heat, Harry had attached a rope to the leg of the table and Niall's collar, giving the omega only a short range of movement. It had been to keep him away from the sex toys while Harry had gone out for some shopping, but Niall had seemed to enjoy it.

"I'm leaving your hands untied so if you need to piss you can release yourself," Harry called as he opened the box in their bedroom. The box contained all the equipment that had come in the starter kit. Harry had been meaning to add to it.

Niall was still sitting on the couch when Harry returned, his arms outstretched. Harry fastened the leather around Niall's skin, making sure it wasn't too tight. The collar was padlocked at the front, the key placed on the table along with the phone. Harry tied Niall tot he leg of the coffee table, with enough length on the rope so he could still sit on the couch if he wanted to.

"I'll phone you. Half twelve, yeah?" Harry kissed Niall again. "I promise I'll think about it. I just don't want you to get hurt."

Niall nodded. "I know."

"Good." Harry kissed his nose. "I'll see you later. Love you."

"Love you!" Niall replied, surging forward to steal another kiss from Harry before he left.

***

Harry spun round in his chair, catching himself on his desk. He'd only been in work for an hour and a half so far, but already he was feeling physical pain at being away from Niall for so long. Combine this with the fact that there was barely anything to do today because the person called in to cover for him had been incredibly efficient, and Harry was left with an overwhelming feeling of boredom and loneliness.

Laughter came from outside the office. Harry at the empty desk across the room, his gaze lingering on the hook attached to the wall. The hook was behind the desk chair and slightly over to the left, meant for tying an omega up. Omegas were welcomed in the law firm Harry worked at, and the lawyers were encouraged to bring in their omegas for relief and company during the day. The second desk in Harry's office belonged to Liam, who occasionally would take Zayn in. On those days, Liam would be too preoccupied with Zayn under his desk to talk to Harry much.

The office door opened and Liam stepped in. Today was one of the days he'd brought Zayn with him, and the omega shuffled meekly through the door behind his alpha. Zayn's hands were chained in front of him and Liam had hold of a leash clipped onto his collar.

"Morning," Liam grinned at Harry, taking Zayn behind his desk. As Liam secured Zayn to the hook on the wall, Harry glanced at his own, empty hook. He'd always sworn to never use it, but now he was wishing Niall was attached to it.

"Morning," Harry mumbled, resting his head on his desk.

Liam chuckled. "Long week with the omega then?"

"No." Harry raised his head, rubbing his eyes. "I'm just tired."

"Knotting does take it out of you."

Harry pulled a face. Liam often threw facts about his sex life into their conversations knowing that Harry would be disgusted by them. Today, Harry had decided he was going to do the same.

"Niall wants to come shopping with me," he admitted, resting his chin on his folded arms on the desk. "I haven't taken him outside yet."

"Because you're bonded? I didn't know you were the jealous type, Harry." Liam laughed to himself, turning on his computer. "Seriously though, you should have taken him outside ages ago."

"I don't want to have him chained up all the time. He's a human being, it just feels wrong."

"They like it, Harry, haven't you noticed? Didn't Niall like being restrained while on his heat?" Liam had a point, but Harry wasn't going to admit it. He watched as Liam motioned to Zayn, curled up in the corner underneath the hook, and the omega crawled over to his alpha. "Zayn likes the cuffs, don't you, Zayn?"

"Yes, Master," Zayn replied, pressing his cheek to Liam's leg. Harry took note of the loving gaze in the omega's brown doe eyes and wondered if Niall ever looked at him that way.

"See? It's in their nature, Harry. Tell you what, you bring Niall in tomorrow. I won't report you to the police if you don't meet the restrictions. How does that sound?"

Harry sat back in his seat and thought about it. If he could get Niall in and out of the building with as little interaction with anyone else, they'd be fine. Liam wouldn't touch him in their office, and no one else ever came in. Harry looked over at the empty hook on the wall.

"Okay," he said. "I'll ask him if he wants to come in."

Liam laughed. "You're weird. You don't  _ask_  an omega."

"Well I do. What are the restrictions?"

Liam motioned to Zayn, who stood up. "Collared at all times. Clothes are optional, though you'll get weird looks if he wears any. Hands have to be cuffed in front of them and they have to be leashed." Liam twirled his finger and Zayn turned around, showing the circular base of the plug pressed between his cheeks. "If you don't want anyone else touching yours, I'd suggest plugging him. Give him something to do while you're working too. Shoes are optional."

Harry nodded, watching as Zayn curled up in the corner again. Liam took him to work so often that he'd created a comfortable space for the omega, a pile of cushions on the floor and a box full of things for Zayn to do while Liam worked. Zayn was rummaging through the box just now, pulling out the book he'd been reading last time he was in. Sometimes he'd draw, but that was only when Liam would unchain his hands for a while. The box also contained sex toys, but Zayn only used those when Liam told him to.

Lunch couldn't come around any sooner for Harry. He took his break five minutes early and rushed to the men's bathroom, locking himself in a cubicle and dialling the house phone. Niall picked up on the fourth ring.

Niall had spent the morning lounging on the floor, watching TV. He preferred sitting on the floor when he was tied up, acting as though he was a proper submissive though he liked to keep the privilege of watching TV. Harry didn't seem to like it when Niall acted on his instinct, as though it proved that omegas were nothing more than the sex slaves they were sold as, but Niall knew that even though he liked to be submissive sometimes, he was still human. There were the rare alphas and betas who were submissive too, but they were still counted as people. He kept meaning to talk to Harry about it, but they hadn't had time.

"Hiya," Niall said, turning the volume of the TV down. "Did you think about it?"

"Hi," Harry breathed, leaning against the wall of the cubicle. He was out of breath; this had happened a few times and it was either down to the fact that he'd ran to the bathroom or that he was just very excited to talk to Niall. "I thought about it."

"And?"

"I'm not taking you shopping."

Niall slumped against the couch. "Oh."

"I don't want you to get hurt, and out in public an omega belongs to everyone. Call me possessive, but I don't want anyone else touching you. I want us to get used to the restrictions first." Harry took a deep breath. "So if you want to, you can come to work with me tomorrow."

Niall sat up straighter again. "Really?"

"Yeah. The bosses are pretty relaxed about it, and Liam brings Zayn in all the time. It'd just be us in the office, so we can relax a bit on the restrictions." Harry stopped talking, but Niall didn't say anything. "Niall?"

"I really want to do it," Niall replied. "Like, really really want to do it. Is Zayn an omega too?"

"Yup. He's bonded to Liam, so they're just like me and you." Harry was silent for a minute. "Are you sure you want to go out in public?"

"Yes."

"Definitely sure?"

" _Yes_."

"Even with the restrictions?"

Niall huffed. "Harry, I want to be seen with you. The cuffs are just a requirement."

"Not just the cuffs."

"Whatever. I'm coming to your work tomorrow even if I have to walk there by myself." Niall laughed wickedly. "I'll get the bus."

"You will do no such thing." Harry sighed. “I want you to be safe.”

“As long as you’re around, I’m safe.” Niall’s voice softened. “Love you.”

“Love you too.”

Harry hung up, shoving his phone deep into his pocket. Something about their plans gave him a bad feeling.


	4. Part Four

Harry stopped a foot away from his car and locked it again. Something about the first double bleep the vehicle made hadn’t seemed right. Ever since Liam had explained the restrictions on omegas in public, Harry had felt like he couldn’t trust anything.

There were obvious problems with the system, Harry knew that. He was a  _lawyer_ , after all, and he specialised in omega care laws. At first, he’d gone into the profession believing he could make a difference to society and convince people that omegas weren’t second-class citizens. That hadn’t happened - Harry now spent his days sorting out disputes over omega ownership and violations of property.

He could still remember the first solo case he’d tackled. An alpha had come storming into his office, dragging his omega along behind him and demanding to be seen to immediately. As Harry had no other appointments, he’d happily agreed; he’d foolishly believed he could convince the alpha to loosen his omega’s collar a bit. Instead, the alpha had wanted to file a lawsuit against a teenage beta who had sexually assaulted his omega.

“There’s a reason betas can’t own omegas!” the alpha had snapped, completely ignoring the omega in question, who was kneeling by his feet. “This is my property, and he had no right to touch it!”

“Could you just explain to me again what happened, sir?” Harry had asked, wondering if he’d understood right the first time around.

The alpha sighed. Obviously he had better things to do. “I was on my usual daily walk. I’d run out of milk, so I went into a shop as we passed it and I left my omega outside for five minutes. When I came out, this beta had my omega on the ground and was masturbating onto him.”

Harry pulled a face. “And you’re filing a lawsuit for... a violation of property? Why not sexual assault?”

The alpha stared at him as though he’d grown three heads. “Are you new? You must be new. You don’t file sexual assault for omegas - you can’t, they’re not citizens. You file a violation of property.”

Harry shook his head, forcing the memory away. That line had stayed with him all these years -  _they’re not citizens_. He’d never thought he’d ever have to think like that, but now that he had Niall, Harry knew he’d have to start taking precautions. There were people in this world that considered omegas to be nothing but sex toys, and Harry had to protect Niall from them at all costs.

Harry worked his way through the maze of cars and into the supermarket. An omega was tied just outside the doorway, sitting on the cold concrete ground with her hands in her lap. Harry tried to do what he normally did and just ignore her, but something made him glance down at her. Attached to her collar was a sign scribbled in black marker pen: FREE FOR USE. Harry looked closer; there was blood on the concrete beneath her.

He hurried inside. He had no right to interfere, he knew that, but instead of the usual determination to end her suffering, he felt the pang of knowing that if he hadn’t bought Niall, his omega could be chained up outside a supermarket. It was very rare that omegas were left for public use. Normally it only happened if they were abandoned by an alpha with too many omegas already. If an omega was abandoned, it was the equivalent of a death sentence; abandoned omegas were taken to breeding farms far out from the cities and used to produce more omegas until they died.

Harry swung a trolley out from the long lines of carts waiting to be claimed. The supermarket wasn’t busy today, but he couldn’t help but spot every omega in the place. One or two were clothed; they received odd glances from other alphas and their owners were spoken about in hushed tones as though they were insane. The majority of omegas were naked though, and Harry was appalled that all the alphas and most of the betas that passed them couldn’t take their eyes from the omegas.

He guided his trolley through the aisles, trying to avoid looking at the omegas. When he reached the fruit and veg aisles, he almost turned around and left. It was only Niall’s specific request for apples that made him continue. Niall had developed a few cravings during his heat and his craving for apples had been strong enough to last.

The aisle was a mess. Two alphas stood in the middle of the aisle, yelling at each other. An omega, the reason for the argument, cowered on the ground behind his alpha. A supermarket worker tried to get between the alphas.

“Keep your filthy hands off my omega!” one of the alphas yelled.

“He’s public property!” the other alpha screamed back.

Harry could see the apples; they were just behind the omega on the floor. Going for them would put him in the middle of the fight. The apples were the last thing on the list, and Niall really wanted them. Harry sighed quietly, and headed into the argument.

The worker cast him a fearful glance. Harry ignored the trio, flashing a quick smile at the omega on the floor as he reached for a bag of apples. Neither of the alphas had noticed him. Harry backed his trolley away.

“You shouldn’t have let him wander around naked!” the offending omega yelled again. “Do you expect me to be able to control my sexual feelings?”

Harry quickened his pace and left the aisle. Disgust was welling up inside him, and if he stayed around the arguing alphas much longer he’d have to voice his protests. Niall was waiting for him at home anyway.

Harry slowed as he came across the aisle at the back of the shop. It was full of equipment for omegas, ranging from cuffs and collars to full on latex suits designed to dehumanise and restrict omegas. He prodded one of the suits with his finger. It felt slimy beneath his touch and he pulled back in revulsion. How anybody could enjoy sex with one of those things was beyond him.

Harry turned to leave the aisle when he caught sight of the display.  _The Complete Package for Domination!_  the bold sign along the top read. Each item was individually priced, and Harry glanced over them all. A lot of the items on display were leather, and Harry wasn’t sure about how soft they would feel on Niall’s skin. He didn’t want to hurt his omega. Harry swiped a plastic packet that contained a vibrating butt plug and a remote, and turned to look at the aisle behind him.

Everything opposite the display seemed to be a lot softer. There were what seemed like scarves hanging from hooks, advertised to be for sensation play. Harry ran one through his fingers. Silk. They would do for what he planned. Harry plucked two from the hooks and dropped them into his trolley.

When he left the supermarket, four carrier bags in each hand, the omega outside the door was being passed around a group of four betas. Harry looked away in disgust.

Niall was still sitting on the floor watching television when Harry got home. The omega looked around as the front door opened, but didn’t get up to greet Harry. He was still chained to the table. Harry rolled his eyes and started to put away the shopping by himself, hiding the scarves and plug in the cupboard under the sink.

“So.” Niall leaned forward until he could see Harry through the kitchen doorway. “How was work?”

“Work was good,” Harry replied, hiding a grin. Niall was dying to talk about tomorrow, he could tell. The omega just wasn’t good at hiding his emotions. “How was the telly?”

Niall scrunched up his nose; Harry turned just in time to catch the adorable expression. “Daytime telly  _sucks_.”

“You’re the one who chose to watch it.” Harry shook his head and laughed. “You won’t have to watch it tomorrow, don’t worry.”

Niall’s excitement filled the house. “You were serious about that?”

“Did you think I was lying?”

“I wasn’t sure. You didn’t seem too happy about it.”

Harry sighed and shoved all the carrier bags into the larger carrier bag hanging on the back of the kitchen door. “I’m not happy about it, but if you want to do it then we can try it.” He knelt in front of Niall, unchaining the omega from the table and taking him into his arms.

“I still don’t understand why you don’t want to do this. I can’t stay in the house forever, you know.”

Harry sighed. “I know, I know. It’s just... the way these people will treat you. To them you’re nothing, but you’re so much more. I don’t want you hurt, but I also don’t want you to be unhappy.”

“We’ll just be in your office though, right?”

“Yeah, but Liam’ll be there and he’s...” Harry sighed again. “Liam’s a collector. He’s already found his mate - Zayn - but he still buys more omegas. He uses them to show off his wealth, and the only one he actually acts decently towards is Zayn. If I take you to work, you’ll have to obey  _everyone_ , including Liam. He seems nice at first, but he’s not. Not to you, anyway. If Zayn’s there, he’ll make you do things when I’m out of the room and I don’t want anyone else to touch you.”

Niall giggled softly, and Harry frowned at him. “It’s not funny,” the alpha muttered, turning his head away to sulk.

Niall cupped his cheeks, kissing his nose. “You’re jealous,” the omega sang. “I’ve never seen you jealous before.”

“I’ve never had reason to be jealous before,” Harry replied. “You’ve never left the house before.”

Niall laughed again, straddling Harry. He pressed kisses to the alpha’s cheeks before pressing their mouths together in a slow, gentle kiss. Harry’s hands curled tightly around Niall’s waist and he moaned as the omega started to grind his hips against Harry’s.

“Can we do something tonight?” Niall murmured, pulling back just enough for his voice to be heard. “To take your mind off this?”

Harry swallowed hard and nodded. He knew what Niall was about to ask.

“Fuck me,” Niall whispered, kissing Harry between every word. “Tie me up and fuck me  _hard_. Show me that I’m only yours.”

A pained whine slipped past Harry’s lips and Niall giggled again. Harry’s hand slid down to his lap, underneath Niall, and unbuttoned his trousers. His work clothes suddenly felt too tight and far too hot. Niall’s hands trailed down his chest, unbuttoning his shirt and playing with his nipples. Harry’s hands moved to Niall’s waist and the alpha was almost startled to remember that Niall was naked apart from his collar and cuffs.

Niall pressed himself to Harry’s chest as the alpha struggled to his feet, carrying the omega through to the bedroom. Harry dropped Niall on their unmade bed, ripping the rumpled duvet from the mattress completely, and crawling over the top of the omega. Niall reached up to run his hands through Harry’s hair, but the alpha grabbed his wrist and stopped him. Harry sat on Niall’s hips as he tightened the cuffs until they were flush to the omega’s skin, and then got off the bed.

“Turn over,” Harry ordered, taking off his shirt and dumping it on top of the duvet.

He hurried through to the kitchen, shedding the rest of his clothes as he went, and fetched his purchases from under the sink. When he returned to the bedroom, Niall was lying on his stomach in the middle of the bed, his arms by his sides. Harry dragged the starter kit from underneath the bed and rummaged through it, pulling out the remaining two cuffs and the chains.

Niall gasped as Harry sat on his back, just above his waist. The alpha was careful not to sit with all his weight; he didn’t want to injure Niall at all. It was merely the easiest way to reach each of his limbs. One by one, Harry attached cuffs around the omega’s ankles and chained each of his limbs to a corner of the bed frame. When he was finished, Harry slid off the bed to admire his omega.

Niall lay on his stomach, spread wide open and unable to move much. He lay with his face in the mattress, his hips moving the tiniest bit as he thrust against the mattress. Harry climbed onto the bed, sitting between the omega’s spread legs. His bum trembled lightly with anticipation, and Harry couldn’t help swatting one of the firm cheeks just to hear Niall moan into the bed.

“Raise your head and open your mouth,” Harry said quietly. He didn’t have to order Niall to do anything; the omega was willing to do whatever at the merest word from the alpha.

Harry ran one of the silk scarves up Niall’s back and loosely around his throat, raising it until the silk was caught between between his lips. Once it was in place, Harry tightened the gag and tied a knot in it. He pulled the omega’s hips into the air, forcing Niall’s face back down into the mattress. Harry stepped off the bed to fetch the lube from the night stand drawer - he’d almost forgotten that he’d need it now that Niall wasn’t in heat - and squirted the lukewarm substance over two of his fingers. Niall was loose enough to take his fingers straight away, but still needed to be opened up.

Harry felt his stomach twist with pleasure at the sounds Niall was making. The gag made all of his moans come out muffled, and with every thrust of Harry’s fingers Niall would pull against the restraints. Harry pulled his fingers out when he felt Niall was ready.

“Do you want a condom?” he asked, sitting up so he could hear Niall’s response.

Niall hesitated, then shook his head, muttering something into the gag. Harry grinned.

“Sorry, what was that?” the alpha asked.

Niall’s reply was still muffled but louder, and Harry could make out the words “Just fuck me already.” It was more than enough of an invitation, and Harry spread lube over himself and lined up with Niall’s hole, slowly pushing himself all the way in. Niall squirmed beneath him, trying to push back and take more of Harry in, but he couldn’t move back far enough because of the chains. Harry pressed his hips flush against Niall’s and relaxed, leaning over the omega’s back to run his hands through his hair.

“Doing okay?” Harry asked.

Niall’s muffled confirmation made Harry smile and press a kiss between his shoulder blades. Harry slowly began to move, keeping a firm but painless grip on Niall’s hips. His shallow thrusts had Niall moaning into the pillow and clawing at the bedsheets. Harry pulled out almost completely agonisingly slowly, making him grunt with the exertion and drawing a pained whine out from between Niall’s lips. He stayed in that position for a moment, trying to ignore Niall’s wriggling, and then thrust back in again powerfully.

Niall yelped against the gag, panting along with Harry’s thrusts. Harry worked like a machine, snapping his hips against Niall’s constantly as he littered the omega’s back with love bites and kisses. The bed rocked with their movements, the headboard bouncing off the wall. Niall twisted his wrists against the chains. He seemed to be trying to reach back and touch Harry, but he was far out of reach. Harry let his hands run down the curve of Niall’s bum, slowing the pace just a little, trailing a finger around Niall’s stretched hole and down between his legs, coming to a stop at the tip of his cock. Niall held his breath. Harry smoothed over Niall’s slit, his skin as soft as silk, and his omega bucked violently against the restraints, swearing into the gag.

With that one move, Harry resumed his previous mechanic pace and stroked Niall’s cock as he went. The omega arched his back into a position that looked painful, and began to fuck himself back onto Harry. The alpha took hold of Niall’s cheeks and stretched them apart, watching as he fucked Niall’s hole, which was beginning to turn red from the friction.

Harry came with a grunt, pressing his chest against Niall’s back and wrapping his arms around his omega’s waist. Niall fucked himself on Harry’s cock, tiny movements restricted by the alpha’s embrace, until Harry pulled out. With all touch from his alpha gone, Niall groaned and collapsed onto the bed, rolling his hips against the mattress in an attempt to get himself off. Harry watched for a moment, amused, before lifting Niall’s hips from the bed again and crawling underneath the omega, taking his dick into his mouth. Niall gasped, resting his head on the pillow to listen to the slurping noises Harry made - the omega had a serious thing for messy blowjobs - until he finally came. When Harry pulled away, there was a mixture of saliva and cum dribbling down his chin.

Harry got off the bed and paused when Niall began protesting through the gag. The alpha chuckled. “I’ll be back in a minute, darling, don’t worry. I’m not going to leave you here.”

Harry dampened a towel in the bathroom and wiped his face clean, wandering back into the bedroom. He stood at the end of the bed, a soft smile on his face as he looked over Niall’s body. The omega’s back was littered with tiny marks that slowly purpled as he watched. Harry hopped onto the bed and removed the chains, wiping down Niall’s skin with the cold towel as the omega sprawled out on the bed.

“Did I prove it?” Harry asked, pulling the gag from Niall’s lips.

The omega smiled lazily, nodding as his eyes fluttered shut. “Mm-hmm.” Niall stretched out one arm, curling it around Harry’s waist as the alpha tossed the scarf and the towel to the floor and lay down. “I’m only yours.” He scrunched his face up. “So can we fuck in your office tomorrow or what?”

Harry laughed softly. “Not while Liam’s there. Maybe in the bathroom though.”

“That’ll do.” Niall sighed and pulled himself closer to Harry, resting his cheek on the alpha’s chest. “You can cuddle me tonight.”

Harry raised his eyebrows. “Oh, I can, can I?”

“Mm-hmm.” Niall smiled, pressing a kiss to Harry’s chest. “I deserve it. Let’s do that again.”

“On the kitchen table.”

“Tie me to the couch, in full view of the window.”

“I’ll stake you to the ground in the summer and fuck you against the grass.”

“Blindfold me and just  _use_ me. Make me your little sex toy.”

“Stop. I’ll get hard again and you definitely won’t be able to take me twice.” Harry kissed the top of Niall’s head. “Are you sure you’re okay for tomorrow?”

“I will be if you let me sleep,” Niall replied with a smile.

Harry lapsed into silence, occasionally running a hand through Niall’s hair. The two men fell asleep on the bare mattress, exposed to the world.


	5. Part Five

When Harry woke the next morning, he was shivering violently. The bedsheets still lay in a heap on the floor where he’d thrown them the night before. Niall was a dead weight on his chest, snoring quietly.

The alarm clock was silent. Harry supposed he’d woken up too early, and nuzzled into the pillow. His eyes flickered open for a second, giving him just enough time to catch sight of the glowing green digits on the bedside table. 8.15.

“Shit,” Harry said, sitting up. Niall slid off his chest and woke with a sleepy grunt. “I’m late.”

“Are we?” Niall asked, looking towards the clock.

Harry stopped. He’d forgotten the promise he’d made to Niall yesterday. Niall was sitting on the bed when Harry turned around, staring at him with wide eyes.

“You forgot,” Niall said quietly.

“I’ve only just woken up, I can’t be expected to remember things immediately,” Harry snapped. Instantly, he regretted it and sighed. “Come on then, if you’re coming. I’ve got some clothes if you want them.”

Niall got out of bed and began to dress. The couple prepared themselves in silence, keeping their eyes off each other. Harry couldn’t let Niall see how worried he was. He knew how much the omega wanted this, and if Niall saw Harry’s doubt or fear, he’d refuse to go just to calm the alpha down. Harry couldn’t let him do that.

Harry  _was_  scared for Niall. The people in his office cared little for the omegas they were supposedly there to protect, and Harry had often been the source of teasing from most of his co-workers about his aversion to slavery. Now that Harry had an omega he was treated differently. Harry feared for what they would have to say when they actually saw his omega.

When Harry half-turned to pull on his suit jacket, he caught sight of Niall standing still, watching him. The omega was only wearing a pair of soft jeans, and Harry couldn’t help but cast an eye over his chest. Since he’d arrived, Niall had grown a lot stronger and had put on some much needed weight. He looked healthier than a lot of the omegas Harry saw on his way to work every morning.

“What?” Harry asked, stopping to look at Niall.

“You said omegas went naked, right?” Niall asked. “Shouldn’t I be naked?”

“No,” Harry said, and began to turn away. He paused. “You can if you want. I just thought it would be easier if you were clothed. Less people touching you then.”

When Niall next spoke, his voice was barely above a whisper. “Harry, are you sure you want to do this?”

“It’s your life, so it’s your decision.” Harry wouldn’t meet Niall’s eye.

“I didn’t ask to be born an omega, you know. Just like you didn’t ask to be an alpha.”

Harry glanced up. Niall had one hand curled at his mouth, his eyes wide and beginning to water. Harry was across the room in three steps, clutching Niall to his chest, running his fingers through the omega’s hair.

“You hate what I am,” Niall said, his voice wavering on the edge of a sob. “I can’t help it.”

“I know. I know, I know.” Harry kissed the top of his head. “I don’t hate you. I hate this society. You’re a human being, Niall, you’re not less than anyone else.” He pulled back a little. “You can stay here if you want.”

Niall shook his head. “I want to go.” He stepped away from Harry and managed a smile. No tears had fallen. “We’re going to be late.”

“We’re going to have to skip breakfast,” Harry agreed, his mouth curling into the beginning of a smile. “Are you sure you’ll manage to starve until we can get some food?”

“Ha. You’re hilarious.” Niall shoved Harry playfully and pulled on his shirt. “What else do I need?”

Ten minutes later, they were standing by the front door. Harry had his briefcase tucked under one arm. Niall was fidgeting with his collar.

“Does it have to be so tight?” he asked. “Don’t they know it hurts?”

“I think they know,” Harry said, taking Niall’s wrist so he could fasten his cuff. “I’m pretty sure they don’t care too. The people who make the laws are alphas, Niall, and they don’t give a shit.”

“They should,” Niall grumbled, letting Harry fasten his wrists together in front of him. “Hey, maybe  _you_  should run for leader, or whatever.”

Harry laughed. “Me? Prime Minister? No, darling, that wouldn’t be good. No one would agree with my views.”

“All the omegas would vote for you.”

“Omegas don’t get a vote.”

“Don’t I?”

Harry shook his head and wound Niall’s leash around his wrist. “I’m afraid not. How’s that? Think you can manage all day like this?”

Niall touched each of the leather accessories that he could reach one by one. With his hands bound in front of him, he looked almost exactly like he had the morning of his arrival. Harry felt the panic rising up in him, but quickly smothered it. Niall would be fine - Harry was willing to protect him from anything. And if it went badly today, Niall would be reluctant to leave the house again. He’d remain safe indoors.

“I’m ready,” Niall said quietly, nodding to himself. “Let’s go.”

Harry tugged on the leash, pulling Niall close enough so he could kiss the omega. Without another word, the alpha turned on his heel and left the house, locking the door behind him. Niall stood patiently, blinking in the early morning sunlight. Harry held the leash tightly in one hand, the other wrapped protectively around Niall’s waist.

The journey to the law firm was made in silence. Niall was too absorbed in his surroundings to speak much and Harry’s jaw was too tense to allow any words out. Now that they were on the main streets, Niall could see exactly how omegas were treated. It was a sight Harry had wanted to avoid, but the back roads he’d originally planned to take instead had been blocked off due to a car accident. The main roads were the only open route to his work, and they repulsed Harry.

As they stopped at a traffic light, Niall was distracted by a group of alphas and betas on the pavement just up ahead. The group pulled open the passenger door of the car in front and dragged out a naked omega, trembling on the pavement as they surrounded her. Niall looked over at Harry with wide, terrified eyes.

“Harry?” he asked, his voice shaking and hollow.

“Don’t worry,” Harry muttered, locking the car. “They can’t get in. I’m here.”

Half the group had abandoned the omega and were prowling along the side of the cars. One alpha slowed next to Harry’s car, staring through the window at Niall. Harry tensed as the alpha grinned, making Niall tremble even more. The alpha tried the door handle, but to no avail. Upon seeing the alpha fail to get into the car, Niall relaxed a little. The lights changed, and Harry drove around the car in front, the driver of which was now out of the vehicle and trying to fight off the group still surrounding his omega.

“You okay?” Harry asked, glancing over at Niall.

The omega nodded. “Yeah. He just scared me.”

“They’re not like that in work. They’ll stare, but they won’t scare you.” The car was silent until Harry pulled into a parking space. “If you want to go home at all, just tell me. I don’t mind taking the day off work.”

“No, I’m fine. I’m ready.” Niall was muttering to himself now. “I can do this.”

Harry got out of the car, heading round to the passenger side just as Niall was opening his door. He took the omega’s leash and hand, and helped Niall out of the car, squeezing his hand. Niall smiled back tentatively, following Harry timidly into the building.

Harry felt everyone’s eyes on him and Niall as they made their way through the reception and up to Harry’s shared office three floors up. Whispers started just as they stepped out of earshot, and everywhere they went the beginning buzz of gossip followed them. In the elevator, Harry stood beside Niall, their sides pressing together, their hands linked. They stood at the back, and Harry caught every glance aimed back at them from the workers standing in front of them.

Harry’s grip was a little firmer than he’d like on Niall’s leash as he led the omega down to his office. Two betas stopped their conversation and stared at their backs as they passed. One whistled, and Harry glared, a growl building in his throat, as he held open the office door for Niall.

Liam hadn’t arrived yet. Harry closed the office door and slid his arm around Niall’s waist, waving his free hand to display the room.

“This is where I work,” he said, holding Niall close to his side. “That’s Liam’s desk - he’s not in yet. This desk is mine. I asked if I could borrow some of Zayn’s things to make the corner more comfortable for you. It’s where you’ll have to stay while we’re here. Sorry, there’s nothing else I can do about that. It’s company policy,  _apparently_.” Harry snorted and kissed Niall’s cheek. “I did get that from Liam though, so maybe he’s just teasing me.”

Niall rubbed his wrists. “Where’s this hook then?”

Harry knelt on the floor in the corner, where he’d piled colourful cushions and pillows. There was even a blanket; Harry had spoken to Zayn when Liam had left the room and had found out the laminated flooring could get cold around noon. Liam had agreed to let Harry use the pillows he’d gathered over time for Zayn until Harry could get his own. Niall sat down, crossing his legs, and watched as Harry fastened his leash to the ring on the wall.

“So can I reach you in your seat?” Niall asked as Harry sat down.

Harry spread his arms. “Try.”

Niall grinned and crawled across the floor, his bound wrists meaning he could move no faster than a shuffle, coming to a stop beside Harry’s legs. He sat on the floor at the alpha’s feet and rested his cheek on Harry’s knee.

“I could sit under your desk,” Niall suggested, reaching up to press his fingers against Harry’s crotch. “Could suck you off while you’re working.”

“Liam’ll be here-”

“So? If you’re quiet enough, he’ll never know.”

Harry was beginning to get hard. He growled under his breath, a sound of frustration, and shoved Niall’s hands away. The omega just replaced them without protesting. “Niall, I’m at  _work_. You can’t do this to me.” He took on a warning tone. “I’ll punish you.”

Niall squeezed lightly. “Apparently I can do this.”

“That’s it.”

Harry had Niall’s collar in his fist within seconds, pulling the omega to his feet and unclipping the leash from his collar. He shoved him over the desk, sending papers spiralling to the floor, but at that moment he didn’t care. They had enough time before Liam arrived, and nobody else was due in the office. If anyone did come in - well, Harry already had rumours surrounding him. There was no rule prohibiting an early morning fuck. He knew; he’d caught Liam and Zayn more times than he could count.

Liam had lube in his desk drawer. He wouldn’t mind Harry using it, probably wouldn’t even notice it was missing. Harry had Niall’s jeans around his ankles. Niall had decided not to wear underwear this morning. Little shit had probably planned this. By his giggles, Harry guessed this was definitely the case.

Niall was clutching the edge of the desk, pushing his ass into the air. Harry squirted lube onto his fingers and pressed them to Niall’s hole, rubbing them around teasingly. The omega whined and pushed backwards. Harry drew his hand away, grinning.

“You know, if you don’t sit nice and still for me, Liam’ll come in before we can finish and I’ll have to stop,” he teased.

Niall immediately stopped wriggling, moaning when Harry rewarded him by sliding one slick finger into his hole. The alpha’s grin grew and he leaned over Niall’s back to whisper in his ear.

“I’d be quiet too, if I were you,” he murmured. “If anyone hears you then they’ll all be in here wanting a piece of you. I don’t think I could stop them.” He slid another finger in deep. “I’d just sit back and watch as they all took you. How many do you think you could take at once? Two? Three?” Harry chuckled. “Little slut like you, you’d probably manage to take five. I can see it now - you’d have cum dripping down your face and you’d be panting, moaning, whining, like the whore you are.”

Niall’s hips had been steadily working against the desk as Harry spoke, and with a moan through his gritted teeth he came over the desk. Harry grinned, pressing a light kiss between Niall’s shoulder blades, gently pulling out his fingers.

“God, Harry, I didn’t realise you were into dirty talk.”

Harry turned, his face already flushing scarlet, to find Liam standing in the doorway, Zayn at his shoulder, a large, smug grin plastered over his face. Harry stood in front of Niall, blocking any view from the doorway, and fumbled over his words.

“Liam,” he stammered. “I didn’t think you’d be in this early.”

Liam raised his eyebrows. “I’m not going to tell anyone. If you want to have sex in our office, then go ahead. Just maybe let me have a share, eh?”

Rage poured into Harry, replacing his embarrassment, as Liam fastened Zayn to the ring on the other wall and took his seat. How dare he even think of touching Niall? He was  _Harry’s_ , no one else was allowed to touch him. When Harry turned and cleaned Niall up a little, wiping the lube from his ass and fastening his jeans for him, his fingers were a little too rough, his nails scraping Niall’s thighs a little too much, his expression a little too fierce for Niall’s liking. There was no reason for him to be this defensive, the rational part of his mind knew that, but Harry was distracted by the entitled tone of Liam’s voice. Liam gave Niall up. Liam let Harry have him. Liam did not own any part of Niall, and he wouldn’t touch any part of the omega either.

After clipping Niall’s leash to his collar again, Harry dropped into his chair angrily. The arousal he’d felt when he’d had Niall bent over his desk had gone. He gave the desk a wipe, picked up all the papers that had drifted to the ground, and reordered his desk. Niall curled up at his feet again, wrapping himself in a blanket and resting against Harry’s knees. Harry reached down and ran a hand through his hair to calm himself down. He looked over at Liam, who had pulled Zayn beneath his desk without even trying to conceal the slurping noises, and narrowed his eyes.

He decided Liam would never touch Niall. No one else ever would. Not as long as Harry was there to protect him.


	6. Part Six

Niall’s fingers crept up Harry’s clothed thigh. The alpha’s hand twitched, as though he wanted to slap Niall away, but he resisted. There was something about having Niall suck him off as he sat opposite Liam that appealed to his jealousy. He spread his legs a little more, feeling Niall squeeze under his desk.

Niall’s hands were warm as they unfastened Harry’s trousers. Harry tried to focus on the document in front of him. It was a contract for the purchase of an omega, which his client claimed had been broken by the auction house that had presented it to him. The issue concerned the fact that he’d been promised his omega would be a virgin, but he doubted the auction house had kept their word.

 _Upon purchase, this omega (female, #375) is promised to be pure-_  Niall’s warm tongue touched the head of Harry’s cock and the alpha sat up straight. He cleared his throat uncomfortably, glancing up at Liam on the other side of the room. The other alpha was working on his own project, and had his gaze fixed on the paper in front of him.

Harry looked back at the contract. Niall’s chest pressed against his knees as the omega licked his way down to the base of Harry’s cock. The words swirled on the paper in front of him. He made out something about an omega proving to not be a virgin and her owner wanted to sue the auction house, but other than that there was nothing Harry could make out. His hand curled into a fist around his pen and he bit his lip. The brief respite he was offered when Niall suddenly pulled away was enough for one deep breath amidst the torture.

Harry was torn. He wanted to be loud and possessive, how he knew Niall liked him, but at the same time he didn’t want Liam to know what was going on. Zayn probably already knew; there wasn’t a lot that got past Zayn, though he never mentioned any of it to Liam. Just once had Harry had a proper, full conversation with Zayn, and only when Liam had left the room. The omega was highly intelligent, but Liam didn’t seem to notice.

Harry curled one leg around Niall’s waist, trapping him between his legs. The omega pressed himself eagerly to Harry, taking more of him in with a loud, wet slurp. Harry froze, looking up at Liam. The alpha hadn’t moved or seemed to have heard anything, but Zayn had a small smile on his face. Harry slipped a hand under the desk and ran his fingers through Niall’s hair.

He was getting close. After weeks of being together, Niall knew exactly how to tease and taunt him. He lifted his pen to his lips, gnawing on the end of it as he fought to keep his hips in the chair.

When Harry came, Niall’s lips wrapped tightly around his cock, he bit down on the pen hard enough for it to shatter and spill ink all over him. His cry of surprise caught Liam’s attention.

“What did you do?” he asked, frowning.

“My pen broke,” Harry replied, drops of black ink flying from his hand when he moved. His shirt was splattered with ink. Under the table, Niall hastily zipped his trousers back up.

“Go wash it off then?” Liam suggested. He looked at Zayn and rolled his eyes, then went back to his work.

Harry peeked under the table to see Niall still kneeling on the floor between his legs, staring up at him with wide eyes. He would almost look like a young, innocent child, if it wasn’t for the drop of cum smeared at the corner of his lips. Harry nudged him gently with the side of his foot, enough for Niall to shuffle out of the way, and got out of his chair.

His shoes squeaked on the shiny linoleum floor as he hurried to the hallway. Something about leaving Niall alone with Liam and Zayn made his stomach tighten. Harry glanced over his shoulder at the closed door to his office as he rounded the corner and lost sight of the room.

The men’s bathroom was empty, thankfully. Harry’s hands shook as he scrubbed the ink from his white shirt. It wouldn’t come out completely; ten minutes of thorough scrubbing left him with a larger, grey stain that could only be half-concealed by his jacket. Around the edges, the shirt had become transparent. Harry sighed and met his gaze in the mirror above the sink. Even to himself, he looked agitated and tense, weary yet wound up at the same time. With a sigh, he left the bathroom.

Harry stopped in the door to his office. He’d been right to be concerned. Niall was on the floor in the middle of the room, wrists chained behind his back. Zayn knelt behind him, spreading his cheeks, licking and sucking at his hole. Harry tore his gaze away from the obscenity on the floor to find Liam leaning back in his chair, gently moving the chair side to side. Liam grinned at Harry and leaned forward.

“I hope you don’t mind,” he said, resting his gaze back on the two omegas on the floor. “I just thought they could have a little fun.”

Harry clenched his fists. “Liam, I told you not to touch him.”

“And? I’m not. Besides, look at him - he’s enjoying it.”

Harry had to admit Liam was right on that point. Niall had his face pressed against the floor, but Harry could still hear his moans. Liam leaned back in his chair again and lifted his wrist, making a show of checking the time.

“Looks like it’s our lunch break.” He smiled pleasantly at Harry. “Why don’t we join in?”

“No.” Harry glared at him. “Tell Zayn to stop. I know he won’t listen to me.”

“Close the door and come join us.” Liam shrugged and stood up. “I’m going to play with Zayn whether you and Niall are here or not. If you’d prefer, I’m sure there are lots of people in the canteen waiting for you two to go down. Having people goggle at you while you eat doesn’t sound so appetising to me.”

Harry ground his teeth together, but shut the door behind him. Liam’s smile grew, and he knelt down behind Zayn, gently pulling him away from the other omega. Harry mimicked him, kneeling in front of Niall. Liam kissed Zayn, unbuttoning his trousers as he did so. Harry watched uneasily.

“You know,” Liam said, stroking Zayn’s cheek. “I’ve never had a foursome. A threesome, yes, and lots more, but never a foursome. Easily fixed, of course.” He smiled at Harry. “I’ll even let you two relax a bit. Zayn can do all the work, can’t you, Zayn?”

Zayn nodded slowly. “Yes, Master,” he replied, his voice hitching when Liam took hold of his cock.

Liam kissed him, moaning quietly into his mouth. Harry wanted to avert his eyes, feeling as though he was watching something overtly pornographic. Niall sat up, clutching at Harry’s hands. Harry wrapped him up in his arms, kissing the top of his head. Liam drew away from Zayn and nodded at Harry.

“I hope you don’t mind taking a back seat in the order-giving,” he said. “I’m not keen on letting anyone else take charge, even another alpha. Sit back against the desk. Niall can ride you, Zayn can suck Niall off, and I’ll fuck Zayn. You don’t have to do anything.”

Liam leaned back, reaching for something on his desk. Harry couldn’t see what he was trying to retrieve until his wallet tumbled from the surface, landing in Zayn’s waiting hand. Liam opened it, pulling out two condoms and holding them between his fingers.

“Want one?” he asked. “I’m using.”

Harry looked at Niall, who was staring back with eyes that suggested he was slightly more up for a foursome than Harry was, and held out his hand, defeated. Liam grinned and placed one in the centre of his palm, ripping the other with his teeth.

“Do you normally keep two condoms in your wallet, or is this a special occasion?” Harry muttered, working out of his trousers with Niall still half on his lap.

“Don’t be ridiculous. There’s three more in there,” Liam replied.

Harry looked at him in disbelief, only to find he was already naked from the waist down. Zayn had pulled his trousers from him in a way that told Harry they’d done this before, in the same position they were in now. Liam had had this office a lot longer than Harry had - had sex with his co-worker been a regular occurrence before Harry had arrived?

Liam bared his teeth in a scary grin. “Ready? Can’t keep them waiting, you know.”

Harry kicked off his shoes and trousers, getting into position before he noticed how ridiculous his socks looked and removed them too. Niall sat between his legs, his jeans already on the other side of the room. Harry spotted Liam eyeing his omega’s thighs, and in a fit of jealousy Harry wrapped a hand around Niall’s cock, ripping open the condom with the other. He rolled the latex on and used the excess lube to gently finger Niall open.

“Do you not do that before you leave?” Liam asked, surprised.

“I wasn’t planning this before we arrived,” Harry snapped. “This is entirely your influence.”

“Harry likes to take his time,” Niall added.

Harry kissed his neck and shushed him quietly. Liam glanced at Zayn, but the older omega stayed silent, like he knew he had to. Harry worried about the surprised look, and distracted Niall from speaking by crooking his finger against his prostate. Niall moaned through clenched teeth, and Harry withdrew his fingers.

“Ready, babe?” Harry murmured, focusing on his omega. The hand around Niall’s cock tightened a little. “Tell me if it hurts.”

Niall lifted his hips and Harry pressed the head of his cock against Niall’s hole. He was loose after the previous night and the quick fingering, and Harry slid into him relatively easily. Niall sat in Harry’s lap, his cheeks slowly turning pink as Liam watched with a scrutinising gaze. Harry petted his hair, glaring at Liam over his shoulder as Zayn rested on his hands and knees in front of Niall. Liam knelt up behind him and spread his cheeks, smiling.

“You think he’s pretty from that side?” Liam asked, nodding at Harry. “He’s beautiful from back here.”

Liam leaned down to Zayn’s quivering cheeks and licked between them once. Harry knew it was nothing but a show of dominance, but it still wound him up. His hips jerked upwards and Niall cried out. He raised his eyebrows at Liam, who chuckled.

“Zayn, do what you do best.”

Zayn crawled forward with Liam still at his hips and took Niall into his mouth. Niall gasped in surprise - he’d thought the other omega would start off slow, not  _deepthroat_  him right from the beginning - and ground down on Harry’s hips, grasping for his alpha’s hands. Harry soothed him, kissing his shoulders, neck and back, coaxing his hips into a slow rhythm. As the omega moved, Zayn moved with him, sucking him off until Niall was sobbing quietly, grinding back onto Harry in desperation. Liam looked pleased, and Harry found himself pissed off at the other alpha.

Liam was moving at a very slow pace, keeping a grip tight enough to bruise on Zayn’s hips, squeezing and parting his cheeks occasionally. Zayn kept himself upright with only one hand; his other slipped between Niall’s legs, and Harry could feel his fingertips rubbing over Niall’s rim. Niall whined constantly. Harry raised his hand to his omega’s mouth, telling Niall to bite down on his fingers instead of making a sound. He was afraid they would get caught, and he quite honestly had no idea what the consequences for this sort of behaviour were - he’d never had cause to look it up before.

“Relax,” Liam said, noticing Harry’s tense position. “No one’s going to come in, if that’s what you’re worried about.” He snapped his hips to Zayn’s, eliciting a sharp noise from his omega for the first time. “Just fuck into him, will you? He’s desperate, and at this point so am I.”

Harry glared at Liam, furious that the other alpha would dare tell him what to do, and in such a nonchalant manner too. It was almost as though Liam was taunting him, daring him to show off. To prove a point, Harry brought his hips up a little harsher than necessary, and Niall bit down on his fingers. Harry felt the skin on his fingertip burst a little.

“Sorry,” Niall muttered, pulling away to reveal bite marks over Harry’s fingers, most of which were beginning to pool with blood.

Harry slipped his fingers into his own mouth and sucked away the blood. “S’okay,” he soothed. “You’re okay.”

He peered around Niall’s body to focus on Zayn. The omega was buffeted between the two parties; Liam worked him forward roughly, and Niall’s momentum on Harry’s dick meant his was being pushed forward and backwards at the same time. He was silent and efficient in his work, but at this point Harry wanted it to be over and he knew exactly what would get Niall off quickly.

“Zayn,” Harry murmured. The omega’s eyes flickered to him. “He likes it messy.”

An imperceptible nod passed between them and wet noises began to emerge from Zayn’s slightly parted lips. Harry was satisfied for the moment. Niall would not hold out much longer, especially with Zayn’s apparent skills of adaptation. Liam had obviously trained him well, even if he had done it in a way Harry disapproved of and found inhumane.

Liam had spoken about it at length before, particularly just before he’d purchased Zayn. His training regime consisted of holding back orgasms and leaving his omegas chained up in uncomfortable positions at night so they would ‘learn to respect him and never take anything for granted’. Harry disagreed; comfort and shelter were basic human rights, never mind food - what Liam made them eat when they disobeyed him made Harry want to puke. He had many qualms with Liam’s relationship with his omegas, but he stayed out of it. A lot of his methods were common practice, and, at the time, Harry had never considered needing to use them.

That had changed. Now Harry’s biggest fear wasn’t how his co-worker was treating his own omegas, it was how Liam would try and train Niall when Harry wasn’t around. There was nothing he could think of that would be worse than some of the things he’d seen Liam do to other omegas, ones that he didn’t like as much as he liked Zayn, and Harry was definitely sure Niall would fall into that category.

There was now a sticky pool of spit around the base of Niall’s cock, leading to Zayn’s lips and connecting the two omegas. Niall was close; Harry could feel him clenching around his cock, scrabbling at his thighs with sharp little nails and bound hands. Harry moved faster, fucking further into him, until Niall was twisting and hiding his face in Harry’s collarbone, his crying muffled by Harry’s stained shirt, Zayn catching all of his cum in the back of his throat without gagging, much to Harry’s amazement. Zayn drew away when he was finished, licking his lips and looking over his shoulder to his alpha.

Harry wrapped his arms around Niall’s waist and whispered soothing things. He could tell Niall didn’t like the idea of other people watching him orgasm, but there was nothing Harry could do about it now - Liam was incredibly persuasive, and would have taken it by force if Niall had somehow managed to resist. Niall cried into his shoulder, still sitting in Harry’s lap. Harry slid out of him, removing the condom and zipping his trousers back up.

“You did beautifully,” he whispered, cradling Niall’s head. “So brave, doing that in front of other people.”

“You didn’t cum?” Liam asked, interrupting Harry’s sweet nothings. “Do you want Zayn to suck you off? He’s good at that.”

“I’m fine,” Harry replied icily. “Not really my thing.”

Liam shrugged. Harry ignored him and kissed Niall’s cheek.

“Shall we go and get you cleaned up?” Harry asked, in a quiet, soft voice. “C’mon, we’ll go to the bathroom and we’ll both get cleaned up. Put your jeans on: one leg in there, that’s it, and the other in this leg. I’ll zip it up for you - there. Can you walk?”

Harry took Niall by his trembling hands and helped him to his feet, stopping to shoulder his bag before leading the omega down the corridor. Thankfully there was no one around; Harry didn’t think Niall could take it. The omega looked as though he would burst into tears at any second and Harry didn’t think he could stand to watch that happen.

The bathroom was also deserted, but Harry guided Niall into the disabled cubicle anyway. He turned Niall away from him, unbound his wrists and pressed him gently to the wall, spreading his legs. Harry knelt down and worked at Niall’s jeans.

“Let’s get you cleaned up,” Harry murmured, sliding Niall’s jeans down to his ankles. “You didn’t like that, did you?”

Niall shook his head, watching Harry over his shoulder as the alpha took an unopened packet of baby wipes from his bag. “Liam’s scary,” he whispered.

Harry smiled reassuringly at him, and began to wipe around his cheeks and hole. “He’s not very nice, is he?”

“He didn’t talk to me.” Niall turned away and pressed his forehead to the wall. “He spoke to me through you. It was like I wasn’t even there. And he didn’t really speak to Zayn either. He just- he didn’t care about us. About me and Zayn.”

“No.” Harry kissed the small of Niall’s back. “A lot of people don’t care about omegas. But I do.” His tone was fierce; loyal. “You’re safe with me, I promise. I’ll never leave you.”

Niall pulled away from the wall, and turned to face Harry. His alpha pulled another wipe from the packet and worked at cleaning the spit and goo from his cock. Niall reached down and twirled some of Harry’s hair around his finger.

“Are you okay?” Niall asked.

Harry blinked up at him. “I’m fine. Just a little pissed that we were manipulated into that.”

Niall flushed. “That was me. When you were gone, Liam said I had to do what he wanted me to.”

“Not from now on. And it’s not your fault either. Here’s an order, and the only one I’ll ever give you: don’t  _ever_  take orders from anyone other than me. If Liam talks to you again, though I doubt he will, just ignore him. If he threatens you, or touches you, tell him I told him you weren’t to speak to anyone other than me.” Harry sighed and pressed a kiss to Niall’s hip. “It’ll be lonely though, if I’m the only person you have.”

Niall smiled. “You’re all I need.” His hand fell away from Harry’s head and his voice dropped. “I love you.”

Harry stood up, taking hold of Niall’s waist, feeling his skin warm beneath his touch. “I love you too,” he replied. His lips hovered over Niall’s. “More than anything.”

They kissed slowly, savouring the moment. Harry’s hands stayed around Niall’s waist, though they desperately wanted to drop to his cheeks. He didn’t doubt that Niall was probably sore and worn out, and could do with a nap. His grip tightened a little as Niall pressed closer to him.

When Harry finally drew away, it was because the bathroom door had opened. He placed a hand lightly over Niall’s mouth and kissed his omega’s forehead, waiting for the newcomer to leave. There was the sound of a zip, echoing harshly around the tiled room, and then the splash of piss on porcelain. Niall shifted his weight and the floor creaked beneath his foot. Harry pressed him closer to the wall, strangely aroused at the sight of Niall’s bright blue eyes staring fearfully at him over the top of his hand.

The other man’s footsteps headed towards the door. Harry waited for a moment after the door had swung closed before taking his hand from Niall’s mouth. Niall was frowning.

“Sorry,” Harry muttered, picking up the wipes and his bag. “Didn’t want anyone asking if they could join in.”

“He didn’t wash his hands,” Niall said, disgusted.

Harry laughed, helping him redress. He cupped Niall’s cheek, kissing the tip of his nose.

“Tired?” he asked. Niall nodded. “You can curl up under my desk, if you want. Use my legs as a pillow. I promise not to move if you want to sleep.”

Niall nodded again and held out his wrists so Harry could tie them together again. “I’d like that.”

They headed back to Harry’s office, delighted to find it was empty. Liam had taken Zayn to lunch. Harry dragged his chair out from behind the desk - one of the wheels had jammed months ago, and Harry had never gotten around to getting it fixed - and let Niall curl up in the space beneath. It looked almost cosy, though definitely only big enough for one person. Harry longed to curl up under there with Niall, but he had work to do. He pulled the seat back into position and sat down, feeling Niall’s cheek against his knee immediately.

“Comfortable?” he asked, peeking under the desk. “You can lie across the floor if you don’t want to be so cramped.”

“I’m fine.” Niall nuzzled into Harry’s thigh, making his knee twitch. “I like being close to you.”

Harry reached down and petted Niall’s hair with his left hand. With his right, he made notes to help him decipher the document in front of him. The case made him want to hold Niall to his chest and never let go.

The alpha in question had purchased an omega (#375, female) from an auction house two weeks ago. He had paid for her and taken her home, believing, as most alphas did, that she was a virgin because that was what he had been told by the auctioneers. When he’d had sex with her, he’d thought she was “too loose”, and had proceeded to torture her until she admitted she had been fucked in the auction house, before the auction had taken place.

Now, the alpha wanted his money back. Harry sorted through the papers in front of him, referencing the contract in question (which did state the omega was a virgin on purchase), the alpha’s statement, the medical report which indicated the omega’s current condition, and some photographs of the omega. He had a quick skim over the photos, turning each of them face down on the desk, afraid they would make him gag. The alpha had at least been thorough in his torture, rendering his omega black and blue, barely able to speak or walk.

Harry knew what he was facing. The only claim this alpha had was his own word that the omega “hadn’t felt right” and the omega’s confession, which had been extracted under horrendous conditions and would never stand up in a court of law. There was nothing he could do here. Harry leaned back in his chair, sighing.

Before, cases like these had made his stomach churn, but had done little more to affect him. Now, all Harry pictured was Niall put under the same conditions. What if he’d never purchased him? Liam would have him, and Harry knew exactly how many omegas Liam went through in a two-month period. Niall would have been left out on a street corner somewhere with a USE ME sign around his neck.

His omega was asleep against his leg. Harry picked up his phone and opened his calendar, working out when Niall’s next heat would begin and making a reminder for it. His gaze drifted across to the files on his desk and he frowned, something occurring to him that he’d never thought of before.

He sorted through the paper piles until he came across a crumpled print-out from the last census. He’d pinched it from Liam a few weeks ago and forgotten all about it. His finger trailed down the page, looking for the information he needed: the gender-status ratios.

Gender-wise, betas were balanced in their numbers, an even enough 51% male and 49% female. Alphas were predominantly male, tipping the scale at 70% with only 30% of alphas being female. But omegas... Omegas were massively, massively female. Only 8% of all omegas were male.

Harry wondered why. The other results made sense; alphas and betas could marry, hence there being both male and female of both, but omegas could only belong to alphas. Omegas went into heat each month in order to become pregnant. Originally, and becoming more and more likely in this day and age much to Harry’s horror, that was all they’d been good for. An alpha would fall in love with a beta, but if the alpha was male he would bond with the omega most likely to produce the strongest offspring for him.

This had been the subject of Harry’s dissertation in his final year of university. He’d set out to prove that omegas had a place in society, but much to his horror he’d only succeeded in strengthening the argument that omegas were only good for sex. Their bodies seemed to be designed to harbour new life; omegas were made specifically to become pregnant.

So why did Niall exist? Why did male omegas exist at all, and why did they go into heat? There must be a reason.

Thoughts clicked together in Harry’s head like puzzle pieces. Male omegas were theoretically impossible; they couldn’t become pregnant and were therefore useless to evolution and would therefore had become extinct millenniums ago. But they were still around, and maybe,  _just maybe_ , that meant they had a higher purpose than sex slaves.

Harry dropped the papers on his desk and nudged Niall awake. His omega gazed up at him, bleary-eyed, one hand curled around his knee.

“Do you mind if we stop somewhere on the way home?” Harry asked, hearing the pitch of his voice change with childish excitement.

“Sure,” Niall replied, closing his eyes and resting against Harry again. “Where are we going?”

“The library. I think I can change some laws.”


	7. Part Seven

Harry pulled smoothly into a parking space just outside the entrance to the library. Niall stared out the window at the towering Victorian building, fidgeting anxiously with his cuffs. It had begun to rain on the way over, spitting at first before evolving into the heavy, rapid drops that were currently falling. The library's door was sheltered by a ledge supported by thick stone columns. Niall looked back at Harry, who was watching him.

"Are you sure I'm allowed in there?" he asked, reaching for Harry's hand. The alpha had unchained his wrists as soon as they'd gotten into the car.

"Definitely. I've seen some dodgy things in there involving omegas." The last sentence was muttered with a hint of anger, and though Niall knew it wasn't directed at him there was still the urge to shrink away. Harry smiled reassuringly at him and linked his wrists together again. "Let's go, before the rain gets any heavier."

Harry stepped out of the car first, tensing his shoulders as the first drops of rain ran down his back. He hurried around to the passenger's side, opening the door and helping Niall out before tucking the omega protectively under his arm. Niall could smell the rich moisture in the air, and the cold, living concrete of the building. They ran to the doorway, giggling together as they went. Inside, Harry turned Niall towards him and cupped his cheeks, pressing light kisses all over his face.

_"Good afternoon."_

Harry paused and glanced to their left. The librarian, a young female beta, was frowning at them from behind the large wooden desk. She tapped a laminated sign on the wall behind her:  _no personal displays of affection in the library_. Harry smiled sheepishly, and took Niall's hand, mouthing an apology as they brushed past the desk, leaving behind a small wet patch on the floor.

Once inside the main room, enveloped by bookshelves that stretched above their heads, Niall had a fit that seemed to be half hiccups, half giggles. Harry dragged him to the nearest table and pushed him into a chair, smiling fondly at his omega.

"Shhh," Harry soothed, trying not to laugh along with him, "we'll get kicked out if you make too much noise."

"Sorry," Niall gasped, bracing himself against the table. "Why do they even have that sign?"

"I would imagine it was because someone once made a mess," Harry replied, with a wink. Niall collapsed against the table in a resurgent burst of giggles, holding his hands up weakly as the alpha unchained him.

Harry turned away, shaking his head with a smile on his lips. He followed the signs along the wall, stopping in front of a shelving unit marked Law and Society. With his finger trailing along the plastic-covered spines, Harry searched for what he wanted. There wasn't a lot of books on omega laws, and the ones he did find were practically useless; all they did was state the laws concerning the buying and treatment of omegas. He took these from the shelf anyway, piling them up beside Niall, who took the one from the top of the pile and began to flick through it as Harry went back for more. Eventually, they had a stack of about ten ridiculously thick books that Harry doubted would be useful.

"Pick out the five you want," he said. "I'll get us some paper and pens."

Harry made his way over to the front desk, where the librarian on duty glowered at him. As politely as he could manage, he asked for paper and pens - which apparently came with a price tag.

"20p for a sheet of paper," Harry muttered, sitting down next to Niall. "Does she think I'm made of money?"

"You are a lawyer," Niall pointed out.

"Not the point. That's daylight robbery."

Harry opened up the first book in his pile - Niall had helpfully divided the books into two equal-sized piles - and found the short chapter on omega laws. He chewed the end of his pen as he skimmed the page, looking for anything that might be helpful. Beside him, Niall was already furiously writing, covering his paper with a messy, unpractised scrawl.

"What did you find?" Harry asked, frowning.

"The laws," Niall replied, looking a little put out. He wondered if it was a stupid idea. "Shouldn't we write those down so we know what we have to change?"

Harry smiled. "Yeah," he agreed. "We should. Nice thinking, Niall."

Niall brightened, tangling one of his ankles around Harry's as he went back to copying. His hand was beginning to cramp and he hadn't even written that much yet. There hadn't been a lot of opportunities to write before now. As an omega, he'd mostly been regarded as unintelligent and, worse, unteachable. He had loathed that view of him and the rest of his kind more than any other. Being considered only good for sex was nothing compared to being considered lazy and uneducated, especially when no one had ever bothered to try and educate him.

He'd learnt how to write from an older omega in the auction house. His script was disgraceful, especially next to Harry's graceful, lawyerly slant, and he still had difficulty forming some of his letters (the curve of a 'g' was particularly hard), but he was proud of his attempts. Niall envied the ease and speed with which Harry wrote. To the alpha, it was second nature.

He finished copying out the current laws and flicked through the other books in his pile. Each had only a short section on omegas and the laws concerning them, and each was almost identical to the last. Niall bookmarked each of the sections. It occured to him that he wasn't even sure what he was supposed to be looking for. He asked Harry.

"Anything that proves omegas have a purpose other than sex," the alpha muttered, turning the page of the textbook he was currently looking at.

Niall sat back in his seat. There was nothing like that in any of the law books in front of him - they all treated omegas as though they were sex slaves and nothing else. He was beginning to see how beliefs like that spread; it was plastered onto the walls around him, educational posters warning owners to keep their omegas on a leash, chained up and docile. Niall cast a guilty look at his free hands, the short chain dangling from one wrist.

He looked over at Harry. The alpha had his head down, nose inches from the paper, his hair falling over his face to create a dark curtain between them. Niall brushed his hair out of the way and Harry's hand paused in his writing.

"Can I go for a walk?" Niall asked softly.

Harry sat up. "Of course. Just don't go too far."

Niall got up, pushing his chair in quietly, and wandered away from the table. They were sat in the middle of the non-fiction section, and he followed the curving shelves, trailing his hand along the spines of the books, until he reached a gathering of mismatched armchairs. A lone beta was seated in one facing him, a book in her lap. She gave him a weird glance before ignoring him completely.

These shelves were filled with shorter, more colourful books. Some were paperbacks, all covered in a protective plastic cover, some with menancing colours and blood splattered over hard fonts, others coloured pastel with flowing font not too dissimilar to Harry's handwriting on the covers. Niall plucked the closest book from the shelf and had a look at the back. There were words printed on the back, and he could understand enough to know it was a description, but other than that he got nothing from it. Disappointed, he slid the book back into its place.

Niall knew his alphabet enough to be able to copy words and read the basics, but other than that he was stuck. There wasn't a lot he wished for other than to be with Harry, but the ability to read kept coming back to him. It had started the first day he'd been left on his own, when Harry had gone to work, and there was nothing keeping away the boredom. He'd perused Harry's bookshelves, seen the light-coloured books with the flowing script, and had even attempted to read one. The first page had left him confused and pessimistic; he'd only been able to pronounce half of the words, and had understood even less. He'd given up on reading after that, but had hidden it from Harry. The alpha had made his opinion on ignorance abundantly clear, and Niall had adopted the idea that there was nothing more shameful than illiteracy.

Here in the library, inhaling the stiff scent of old pages, he felt at home. Now that he was surrounded by books, Niall could see how comforting it must be. The urge to read came upon him almost as strongly as he felt his deep, innate love for Harry. Following the urge, a second tsunami wave of emotion, came the desperate desire to read, mixed with the shame of his inability. If Harry knew what he was thinking, Niall knew the alpha's respect for him would shrink.

He wandered from shelf to shelf, recognising some words on the spines, but more captivated by the colours and designs. Occasionally, he'd take a book from the shelf and turn it over in his hands, admiring the artwork on the cover and flicking through the pages, feeling their sharp edges brush his skin harmlessly, before sliding it back into place. Niall was holding a book, one he'd picked up because he'd recognised the word 'omegas' on the cover, when Harry came up behind him.

"What have you found?" Harry asked, pressing a hand to Niall's waist.

"Nothing." Niall tried to shove the book back into the gap. In his panic, he missed the opening and hit the shelf, letting the book fall from his grasp in defeat.

Harry raised his eyebrows and bent down to pick it up. He frowned as he read the title, then hurriedly turned it over to read the description. Niall bit his lip anxiously.

"It just looked... interesting, that's all," he said defensively.

Harry nodded, his eyebrows knitting together, something Niall normally would have taken delight in. He'd always thought Harry looked adorable when he was perplexed. Now, he could do nothing but squeeze his fists together, nails biting into his palms.

"It certainly does," Harry muttered. "Where did you find this?"

Niall pointed to the hole in the row of books. Harry looked at the spine, then back at the shelving.

"This is a non-fiction book, but it's been catalogued as fiction."

Harry flicked to the beginning and read the first few pages. Niall stepped away from him slightly, pretending to have a look at a display at the end of the shelves. It was fruitless, he knew; they were too attuned to each other for Harry to not notice something was wrong, plus Niall probably reeked of the anxiety he currently felt. It gave him the space to breathe though, and he felt more confident when Harry wasn't hovering right behind him.

Harry shut the book loudly. Niall turned back to him, and found the alpha watching him curiously. Harry held up the book.

"I think everything we need is in here," he said, holding out his hand for Niall to take.

Niall hesitated, staring at his hand, before brushing past him. He walked briskly back to the table they'd occupied, and began to gather up their papers while Harry replaced all the non-fiction books they'd borrowed. Niall paused long enough to let Harry cuff his wrists together again, then took the car keys from the alpha's pocket and left the building before Harry. As he passed through the heavy wooden doors, he heard the librarian ask Harry why he was taking out "this joke of a book."

It was still raining outside. Niall unlocked the car, his hands shaking so much that the fob slipped from his grasp and landed in a puddle the first time he tried. He got into the passenger's side and slammed the door, curling himself up as much as he could in the cramped space. Hot, angry tears rolled down his cheeks, though he made no sound. His lack of education, so evident next to Harry's well-articulated speech and intelligent conversations, made him feel a guilt that couldn't be rivalled. How could Harry love someone who was nothing but an idiot, who brought shame and burden to him? Even Zayn, today in the office, had been reading. Niall was even less than other omegas. How could Harry possibly be proud of him when he was below other omegas in every aspect?

Harry got in the car beside him and said nothing. He tossed the book onto the back seat and ignored Niall's tense, protective form, instead taking the keys from the pocket in the centre console where Niall had dropped them and starting the car. They drove in silence for an unnaturally long time, and Niall didn't move at all.

Harry eventually stopped the car, after driving up a steep incline that Niall knew was nowhere near their home. He looked up slowly, keeping his face turned away from Harry in case the alpha saw his red, swollen eyes, and looked around outside. They were parked on the top of a hill isolated from the rest of the city. Up above, the stars glittered, unaffected by light pollution all the way up here.

Harry left the engine running and fiddled with the heating controls. "What's wrong?" he asked.

Niall didn't reply, and so he repeated the question. Still Niall refused to answer, refused to even look at him. Harry reached for the book on the back seat.

"Do you know what this is?" Harry asked.

Niall pressed himself against the seat. To answer him would be to admit his ignorance, and Niall could never tarnish the way Harry thought of him. The image Harry had of him was all Niall treasured, and to taint it would be to bring an end to their relationship as he knew it. He struggled to keep himself from crying again.

"This," Harry continued, "is everything we've been looking for. It's considered fiction, but it's not. It's a history of omegas, with a bit of biography thrown in." He reached for Niall's arm, but the omega pulled away. "You would have known that from the title, Niall -  _'The True History of Omegas.'_  What's wrong?"

Niall shrank into the seat a little more, wishing the faux leather would just swallow him up. Harry sighed and leaned back in his seat, sighing wearily. Outside, a cat prowled alongside the car. Niall focused on the lean muscles in the creature's back, its strength and agility evident from over here, wishing his own ignorance was not as obvious. He wanted Harry to drop the subject.

"If you don't tell me, I can't help you," Harry said, placing the book on the centre console between them.

"You can't help me anyway," Niall muttered. He rested his head against the window, which was coated in a thin layer of condensation. The cold soothed him a little. Already, he could feel the beginning tears trying to force their way out.

"Why not?"

"You'll just think I'm stupid."

"Niall, I would never-"

"I can't read, okay?" Niall's rage burst through the emotionless front he'd put up. His anger surprised Harry, and it definitely surprised him as well. He'd felt more shame and guilt at not being good enough for Harry, but now that he thought about it, anger was certainly in the mix. He was angry at the world for not making him good enough, angry at Harry for not leaving him alone, and angry at himself for feeling like this. "I can't read, I can barely write, I can't even count. You hate ignorance, and I'm ignorant as hell! How could I possibly be good enough for you?"

He was crying again, hot, heavy tears forcing their way down his cheeks. Harry stared at him, aghast, as Niall curled his hands into tight fists and sobbed into them. He turned away again, curling up on the seat.

"Niall." Harry's voice was soft, his hands warm and gentle against his skin. "Niall, baby, come here."

With a little bit of effort, Harry slid his arms around Niall's body and lifted him as Harry slid onto the passenger seat beneath him. The alpha cradled Niall in his lap, kissing his hair and petting him soothingly as Niall wept into the crook of his neck, his collarbone quickly pooling with warm tears. Niall could feel the love that Harry felt for him, could smell it on the pheromones coming from his skin, and it made him sob harder. He had that fatal flaw that Harry hated, and yet the alpha still loved him.

Niall's chest tightened and he struggled to breathe, gasping like a fish and fighting Harry's grasp. He felt caged in, trapped with no hope of escape. Harry immediately let him go, leaving him leaning against the dashboard, wheezing.

"What was that?" he asked, avoiding Harry's gaze.

Harry fished around in the centre console. "I think it's an anxiety attack," he replied, producing a bottle of water. "Here. Try and relax. I'm here when you want me."

Niall took the bottle and gulped down the water, pressing his face to the moulded plastic of the dashboard. His fumbling fingers found the temperature dial for the heating and turned it all the way down. A layer of sweat covered his skin, and he could feel his heart pounding in his chest. He started to cry again, though less violently this time. Harry remained still, waiting until Niall reached desperately for him again almost a half hour later before he took the omega back into his arms.

"You're not mad at me?" Niall asked, pressing himself tightly to Harry's chest.

"Why would I be?" Harry asked, folding his arms around him. "You're not to blame."

"But I'm ignorant."

"No, you're not. You just haven't been taught anything. You're entirely willing to learn, and it's not your fault you were never given an opportunity." Harry rubbed Niall's arms. "I'll teach you. Can't be that hard, you're not stupid or anything. I think you'll get it straight away, actually."

Niall trembled on Harry's lap. He knew what came next, the promises and the gentleness, but that wasn't what he needed. Before, when he'd attempted to learn the alphabet the first time, he hadn't fully understood it because he hadn't been reinforced. The omega who had taught him had been kind and gentle, and Niall hadn't liked not knowing whether he'd been right or wrong. He much preferred the stricter, although more brutal, ways of the auction house when he'd initially been trained.

"We'll go home and get some books, jotters too, and we can start tomorrow." Harry kissed his temple. "We'll take it slow, you won't feel pressured-"

"No." Niall sat up and twisted on Harry's lap until he was straddling the alpha. "I tried to learn once before like that and it didn't work. I want to be pressured, and punished when I get things wrong. I need to be punished - that's the only way I can learn."

Harry frowned and started to shake his head. "Niall, I don't think that'll be good for you. Look at you just now, you had an anxiety attack because you thought I would hate you. I don't want to punish you anyway-"

_"But I want to be punished._  Harry, I know you don't want to hurt me, but I  _want_  this. I want the sort of relationship you said Liam and Zayn had - not as extreme as that, of course," he emphasised hurriedly, when he saw Harry's horrified expression. "I mean, it's sweet that you care so much, and I love you, but I'd love you even more if you'd control me completely. It sounds weird, I know, but I was brought up like that. You have  _no idea_  how much the thought of calling you Master all the time turns me on."

Harry rested his hands on Niall's hips. "I just-" He bit his lip and laughed shakily. "I'm scared I won't be good enough for you. I guess we both feel like that now. I don't know how to be controlling, I don't know how far to push things. I'm constantly scared I'd hurt you, and I'm terrified I'll do something wrong and lose your trust."

"You won't." Niall found himself comforting Harry now, pressing a kiss to his nose. "I trust you with my life, Harry. Nothing you could do would make me change my mind about that." He sat up straight, with renewed happiness. Now that he'd told Harry what he wanted, he felt better. They had no secrets from each other now. "We'll start slow, okay?"

Harry nodded slowly. "Slowly. Okay." He took a deep breath, and searched for a spare piece of paper and a pen. "Tell me how to do this."

"You don't need to write it down."

"I want to." Harry twisted so he could lean the page on the window, though the condensation soaked into the paper. He scowled, and leaned on the centre console instead, knocking the book to the floor. "Tell me what you want."

Presented with the opportunity to get everything out in the open, Niall lost all of his words. The image of Harry waiting patiently for him to begin speaking, pen ready in hand, so eager to learn how to please him, made Niall forget everything that had ever seemed even vaguely arousing to him before. All he wanted in that moment was to be fucked thoroughly underneath the stars in the car, right then and there. His lips were sealed shut, and when he finally spoke, his mouth was dry with nerves.

"I want you to take control. To order me about and not take no for an answer. I want- I want to be restrained and forced to orgasm, or prevented from orgasming. I want to feel like you're my god. I want to be taken by you whenever you want, I want to be humiliated, I want to serve you. I want to be owned by you, completely."

Harry hadn't written anything down. "How? What would turn you on the most?"

Niall swallowed. "I want to be gagged and bound for hours, however you wanted. I want to be fucked with things that aren't supposed to be toys. I want you to treat me like furniture, like I'm not even there. I want you to degrade me as much as possible, to treat me like an animal. If you're teaching me something and I get it wrong, I want you to punish me. I want to have to ask your permission for things, like whether or not I can cum. Sometimes, I want you to deny that, and maybe hurt me. I want you to treat me like I'm nothing, but I still want you to love me."

Harry smiled. "I'll never stop loving you."

Niall beamed, then hesitated. "I do want something particular though, something I planned a while ago." He paused nervously again, and Harry gestured for him to continue. "I want you to tie me up one morning before you go to work. With a vibrator, or something, and just leave me. I want to cum so much it hurts, and then I want you to come home when I'm open and tired and I want you to fuck me over and over again, until you've had enough. I want you to fuck me while I'm crying in pain, and I don't want you to stop. I want you to fill me so much that when you pull out, my hole doesn't close. And then I want you to hold me and tell me you love me, and maybe cook me dinner or something, and then curl up with a film. I want you to hurt me and then- care for me. Does that make sense?"

"Yeah," Harry murmured. "I can do that. When do you want to start?"

"Now." Harry blinked at him, but Niall held his gaze. "I want you to fuck me here and now, in the car, where anyone can find us."

Harry looked down at the list he'd made. "That's pretty vanilla compared to this, isn't it?"

Niall shook his head. "I want- no. It doesn't matter."

"Tell me." Niall looked away. "Niall, I'm ordering you to tell me."

"I want you to make me fuck the gearstick," Niall whispered, "and I want you to film it."

Harry's mouth was suddenly dry. "Won't that hurt?"

"Not if we have lube."

Harry reached around him and opened the glove compartment. There was a small sachet of lube in there and Harry felt a surge of gratitude towards Liam for his snippets of advice, even though they had seemed a bit odd at first. Niall began unbuttoning his jeans, crawling onto the driver's seat to give himself some more room. Harry pulled out the packet of antiseptic wipes he always kept in the glove compartment - he hated touching public railings after what he'd seen some betas do to them - and wiped down the gearstick as Niall kicked off his shoes and jeans. Once he was naked from the waist down, Harry offered him the packet of lube.

"Get yourself ready, then," he said softly.

Niall reached behind him and pressed a wet finger against his hole. After all that had happened today, he felt himself open easily under his touch, and progressed to three fingers within a few minutes. Harry shoved his trousers down to his knees, sitting in the passenger's seat with a hand down his boxers. His other hand fiddled with his phone, opening the camera app. Niall pulled his fingers out and squirted more lube onto them, then closed his palm around the gearstick.

"Wank it off," Harry said, his voice a little hoarse.

Niall looked up at him, and found the glimmer of fear behind his eyes. He knew how his alpha felt; it was scary doing something new for the first time, especially if it was taking control of another person. He knew what he had asked Harry to do went against almost everything his alpha stood for. Until Harry found the confidence to give orders, Niall would help him along.

"Wrap your hand around it," Harry repeated, "and wank it off."

Niall tightened his fist, stroking up and down the gearstick. It was a lot thicker than he'd first realised, and the handle at the top was almost twice the girth of the rest of it. He was beginning to doubt he could take this. But Harry wanted to see him do it, so he'd have to take it. The realisation that Harry was expecting an action from him, something that would most definitely be humiliating, filled Niall with happiness. This was all he'd ever wanted from an alpha - someone who would love him, but love what he wanted too.

Harry's eyes watched Niall's hand as the omega stroked the gearstick over and over again. Niall noted the camera on Harry's phone was already recording. In his boxers, Harry mimicked Niall's hand gestures, sticking to the same rhythm as the omega.

"Stop," Harry ordered eventually. "Fuck it now. Take it all."

Niall nodded and took his hand away. He stepped off the seat, one foot on either side of the console. The gearstick was in an awkward position, too far forward for Niall to rest on the seat and right beside the fan blowing cool air into the car. He reached for the dial to turn it up, but Harry knocked his hand away and turned it down again. Niall glanced at him, saw his impatient gaze, and lowered himself down onto the gearstick.

The handle at the top, as he'd suspected, was incredibly large. It felt larger pressed against his hole than it had in his hand. He pushed further down, feeling the topmost part breach his hole, stretching him more than he'd ever been stretched before. A sharp gasp slipped past his lips and from the corner of his eye he saw Harry react automatically, reaching to stop him, before he caught himself and sat back. Niall could see the mantra going through his mind: He wanted this, he wanted this.

Niall kept sinking lower, taking it as slow as he could. Harry didn't snap at him to hurry up, so he supposed he could take his time. It was now that Niall realised he'd forgotten to factor in something important: the car's engine was still running. The gearstick vibrated underneath him to the point where it might cause him physical pain. Niall ground his teeth and persevered - it wasn't just him that wanted this anymore. He came to the thickest part, groaning with the effort, the vibration, and the burn as he pushed it into him. The liberal amount of lube he'd applied helped, but it didn't get rid of the pain entirely. He grabbed hold of the steering wheel to keep his balance as he finally made his way past the handle, feeling one last stray tear drop onto his chest. All at once, he found himself sliding further down, impaled on the gearstick by the sheer force he'd used to get past the handle. His grip on the steering wheel increased as he stopped himself sliding too far down.

He glanced at Harry, who had his eyes half-closed, his boxers shoved down along with the trousers now. The alpha was still recording him, though he seemed more interested in Niall's hole than the rest of him. Niall began to fuck himself on the gearstick, and he quickly became aware of why Harry had turned the heating down. When he felt the handle push against his hole at the top of the gearstick, the cold air blew across his hole. At any other point, the air was blowing directly onto his cock. It made getting off that much harder, though Harry seemed to be having no problems with that.

Niall kept glancing around at his alpha to make sure this was what he wanted, that he was enjoying it too. There was no point to anything if Harry didn't feel the same pleasure he did - for even though the gearstick had stretched him unusally wide and the burn was still present on the edges of his consciousnous, the handle was pressed tightly to his prostate, vibrating away, and every time it shifted position even slightly, Niall felt a tingling pleasure rush through his body. He felt himself nearing a climax, but he wanted Harry to give his permission. Or better yet, he wanted Harry to refuse, to make him wait until they got home. He knew that wasn't an option, not this early on, but he couldn't help but ask.

"Master." His voice came out a horrifyingly high squeak and he cleared his voice before attempting to ask again. "Master, can I cum?"

Harry raised the camera into a better position and nodded. "Yes, you can cum."

Niall stopped moving, feeling the handle stretch his hole and yet somehow manage to press against his prostate at the same time. He clenched around the cold, wet plastic and closed his eyes, gripping the steering wheel tightly. His cum dribbled down his cock, dripping from his skin to the console and forming a little puddle around the base of the gearstick. When he was finished, weak yet electrically charged, he slid further down the still-vibrating gearstick, unable to hold himself up any longer.

Harry caught him with one hand that was sticky with his own cum, stretching his hole to pull him from the gearstick. The alpha hesitated, then lightly slapped Niall across the face, forcing his cum-covered finger into the omega's mouth.

"Clean this, then lick that up," Harry ordered, in a voice that trembled, nodding to the white pool on the console.

Niall felt a shot of humiliation run through him and loved it. He sucked Harry's fingers clean and lapped at the traces on his palm, then swapped seats with the alpha and knelt with his bum pressed to the steamed-up window and licked up the pool of cum. Harry turned the heating up and cleaned the car a little, wiping down the gearstick and the console once Niall had licked it clean. He picked the library book up from the floor and passed it to Niall once the omega was dressed again.

"Was that what you were looking for?" Harry asked. "That was okay, right?"

Niall smiled happily. "More than okay. That was amazing. Exactly what I want." His hand slid into his jeans, and he touched his swollen hole with pride. He imagined it was red and unable to close completely. "Was that okay for you?"

Harry nodded. "It was a bit hard to watch, I didn't want you to get hurt, but if you want that all the time I'll have to get used to that."

Niall laughed and leaned over to kiss Harry. "I loved it. And I love you."

"Good. That's all I need." Harry changed gears and made a face. "This is really warm now."

Niall laughed all the way home. He couldn't help but imagine what it would be like to ride the gearstick while Harry revved the engine, and made a mental note to ask Harry about it later on.


	8. Part Eight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I AM BACK!

The clink of porcelain on the bedside unit woke Harry. He kept his eyes shut, turning his head until his face was pressed against the pillow. Niall was no longer curled against his back, instead felt the bed dip as the omega knelt by his knees. A draught brushed over his skin. The sheets were on the floor again.

Niall’s fingers crept up his thighs. Harry pressed his face harder against the pillow, flinching as Niall lightly brushed the crease at the top of his leg.

“M’gonna be late,” Harry muttered, hugging the pillow.

“It’s Saturday,” Niall replied. There was a desperate edge to his voice.

“S’not.” Harry reached for the bedside table, knocking into the mug as he fumbled blindly for his phone. Hot liquid splashed onto his knuckles, the air filling with the scent of coffee and coconut. His phone screen hurt his eyes, but he managed to squint at the lock screen long enough to see the date. “Oh.”

“Saturday.”

“Right.”

Harry dropped his phone on the bedside table, wincing when it bounced off the edge and hit the floor. Niall had hold of his cock now, his hands slick with lube. Harry mumbled nonsense into the pillow, frowning as another, fuller scent emerged from under the bitter tang of coffee. He felt his stomach clench and raised his head.

Niall knelt between his legs, skin pale and shining with sweat. His eyes were rimmed red, as though he’d lain awake all night, and when he shifted into a crouch, lube dripped onto the already soaked bedsheet. The smell was stronger now, flooding Harry’s system with giddy pleasure.

“You could have woken me sooner,” he said, swallowing hard.

Niall shook his head. “No.”

“Yes.” Harry sat up, easily lifting Niall onto his lap - the omega was practically there already. He felt the warm, silky wetness of self-lubricant run down his thigh. “You can’t do this by yourself. Remember what happened last time?”

Niall whimpered, and Harry glanced down at his waist. The omega’s cock lay thick and heavy on his thigh, the skin red and raw. Harry caught Niall’s wrists and kissed his hands, examining the layers of skin removed from his fingertips. Blood welled in the grooves at the surface. Harry tightened the cuffs around his wrists and reached into the drawer beside the bed.

He drew out the list they’d made the week before. Nothing on it applied to heat, and Harry suspected even if they tried everything on the list, Niall would still not be satisfied. The omega was pawing at his chest now, grinding down on his thigh. Harry tossed the list over the side of the bed and focused on Niall. He caught the omega’s attention with a long kiss, slipping three fingers straight into him.

“Want me to fuck you?” Harry asked, voice low. He stretched out his fingers, drawing them out slowly before pushing four in. “Want me to knot you?”

Niall nodded, pressing his face to Harry’s collarbone. “Yes. Fuck me. Fuck- fuck your slut,  _ please _ .”

“Ah, but you’ve been naughty, haven’t you?” Harry’s hand stilled, pulling out when Niall tried to push down. “You didn’t wake me up, did you?”

“No,” Niall sobbed, digging his nails into Harry’s chest.

Harry reached for the clips on the cuffs, ignoring the pain. They’d taken to leaving the connections on - it made Niall feel like he was disobeying, which he apparently liked. Harry didn’t want to disappoint, and had to admit the idea was becoming useful now. He clipped one of Niall’s wrists to the headboard.

“What do naughty omegas get?” Harry asked, reaching over to attach the other cuff alongside the first.

“Punished.” Niall whined as Harry slid out from underneath him. “Harry, please.” The alpha ignored him, binding his ankles to the bar at the foot of the bed. “ _ Harry _ .”

“Naughty omegas don’t get knotted,” Harry finished, pulling the toy chest out from underneath the bed. “Naughty omegas get a vibrator instead.”

He pulled out the butt plug with the remote and pressed the tip straight against Niall’s hole. It slid in easily, almost too fast, and stretched the omega until it fell into place, his hole closing around the dip. The thick base stuck out between his cheeks, visible from the bedroom door. Harry left the room, closing the door behind him, and pressed the switch on the remote.

Nothing. The batteries were dead.

“Sorry, babe,” Harry muttered, going to rifle through the drawers in the kitchen.

He found an opened back of AA batteries, but with only one battery left. The remote took two. He sighed, and scrawled a note on the list pinned to the fridge. The TV remote took AA batteries; maybe he could steal one from there.

The back of the TV remote had been sellotaped closed - they’d gotten too excited on the sofa one night and had knocked it across the room, smashing an old photo frame in the process - and Harry began the laborious task of trying to pick the tape off. His fingernails were blunt, a precaution taken to ensure he didn’t scratch Niall while fingering him, and it took him almost five minutes to get the back cover from the remote. All the while, he could hear Niall wailing in the bedroom, growing more and more frustrated and desperate. Harry pulled out a battery and slotted it into the back of the plug’s remote. Immediately, Niall screeched.

Harry nodded to himself and sat down at his desk. He’d leave Niall for fifteen minutes, he told himself, and in the meantime he would work on his theory.

_ The True History of Omegas _ sat on top of a spiral-bound notebook. Harry picked up both and opened them to the first page. He took a pen from the overflowing pot in the corner, began to chew on the end of it while reading the introduction of the book, realised it was a pink highlighter, replaced it with a black biro. The lid clattered from his fingers, rolling off the desk. Harry didn’t care; as he’d suspected, this book was all the starting materials he’d need.

_ ‘Society as we know it _ ,’ the book began, ‘ _ is separated into three classes: the alphas, kings of the land and the most superior class; betas, the knights, if you will, of our country; and the omegas, the lowest of the low. While many history textbooks will follow the achievements and expeditions made by alphas, and occasionally touch on the artistic creativity of betas, none concern the omegas. I believe this book will change that. _

_ ‘Omega is not a new term. A common example can be seen in  _ Canis lupus _ , or the grey wolf. An omega is the lowest ranking member of the pack. Human societies work slightly differently, in that there is a new rank introduced that is similar to, but not the same as, an omega. _

_ ‘The term omega has changed definition throughout history. Its common, modern usage refers to the predominantly female population of what are effectively sex slaves, though it does include the males. However, in ancient societies these ‘omegas’ were called gammas. For the sake of clarity, the lowest members of society shall be referred to as gammas. _

_ ‘So what is an omega?’ _

A loud wail from the bedroom drew Harry’s attention away from the book. He dropped his pen and hurried through to the room, casting a guilty glance at the clock. He’d been taking notes on the three paragraphs he’d read so far for half an hour now. Niall would be exhausted.

Harry closed the bedroom door softly behind him. He’d have to change the bedsheets; Niall was lying on a human-shaped sweat stain. The omega had pulled against the binds enough to curl up slightly, concealing the base of the plug. Harry slipped the remote from his pocket and turned it off, hearing Niall sob at the disappearance of stimulation.

“Harry,” he sobbed, pulling against the cuffs. “Harry _ please, please _ .”

Harry knelt on the bed, gently shushing him. “I’m here,” he murmured, pressing kisses up his omega’s legs as he unfastened the ankle cuffs. He did the same with the wrist cuffs, but kept a tight hold of Niall’s wrists. “Want me to fuck you, baby? That what you want?”

Niall nodded, still sobbing. Harry pulled him onto his lap, slipping into him with ease. The smell was driving him wild, but he still had enough sense to start slowly, rolling his hips into Niall, smiling when the omega hiccupped with every thrust.

Niall pressed down hard against Harry’s hips. “F-faster,” he mumbled, reaching for Harry’s shoulders.

Harry stopped and took his wrists again, guiding them into the position he wanted: behind Niall’s head, attached to the metal loop on the back of his collar. “How about you ride me?” Harry asked, kissing Niall’s forehead. “You go as fast as you want, babe.”

He dropped back onto the bed, resting his hands lightly on Niall’s hips. Niall began to bounce quickly and roughly, hitting Harry’s hips hard with his own. The sight was obscene: Niall’s cock bounced with him, precome dripping from the tip. Every time he moved, the squelch of his natural lubricant brought with it the scent that made Harry want to pound him into the mattress. But he had more control than that, at least for now. Harry already had a plan. He’d knot, let Niall fall asleep on him, then continue his research. Something he’d discovered a while ago was the joy of reading with Niall curled up on his lap.

Niall was moaning loudly, red in the face. A blush-like pink was spreading over his stomach, the muscles in his thighs twitching with the effort and the pleasure. Dried come stuck to his stomach, the product of three sequential orgasms with the plug. His hands pulled at the cuffs, a droplet of blood running down his arm and dropping off his elbow.

Harry took notice when the blood splashed onto his stomach. He frowned at the red spot, and when a second appeared he sat up and made Niall stop. Niall cried, pulling harder at his cuffs.

“Stop pulling,” Harry ordered, unfastening the cuffs. He took Niall’s wrists in his hand and looked them over, ignoring the small movements the omega was still making on his cock.

Niall’s left wrist had rubbed against the cuff so much that he’d broken the skin. Harry shook his head and reached for a wipe from the bedside unit.

“Don’t stop,” Niall whispered, pressing his forehead to Harry’s collarbone. “Please, I _ need _ it.”

“Are you close?” Harry asked, wiping away the blood. The wound paused, then began to bleed again. Niall nodded. “Okay. Me too. I’ll knot you and then we’ll bandage this, is that okay?”

Niall rolled his hips against Harry’s again, still nodding. Harry abandoned the tissue and laid his omega on the bed, taking hold of his calves. The smell of Niall’s blood had done nothing but strengthen the peculiar need to dominate, and now he had his chance. Harry pounded into Niall so hard his omega screamed, not stopping or slowing until he felt his knot pop. He rested his head on Niall’s chest, panting, and Niall threaded his fingers through his hair. Blood dripped onto his forehead.

“Come on,” Harry sighed, making the effort to lift Niall up and carry him into the kitchen, where the first aid box was.

He hooked the handle over Niall’s limp fingers - the omega had fallen asleep against him before he’d even climaxed, though that hadn’t stopped him spreading more come over his stomach, which was now partially on Harry’s cheek - and went to sit on the sofa in the living room. Harry bandaged Niall’s wrist with gauze after discovering he had no more plasters, and stayed there, holding his omega tightly. After a moment, he reached for the TV remote. The TV was as unresponsive as Niall, and when Harry turned it over to inspect the batteries he remembered his theft. He sighed and leaned back, closing his eyes. A vibrating butt plug was more interesting than daytime telly anyway, he decided.

Harry woke from his doze fifteen minutes later to feel something scratching at his cheek. Niall was awake, still stuck on his lap, but not as desperate as before. His heat had been subdued by the knotting process, but the sleepless night still took its toll, visible in the dark circles under his eyes. Harry reached out to swipe a thumb across them, knowing they wouldn’t disappear until after his heat was over.

Niall was picking at the dried come on his cheek. Harry brushed his hand away, pulling him in closer to kiss him. He brought his hands lower, to rest on Niall’s waist, and felt his omega twitch in response to another shot of come. Harry made a mental note to pick up the plug before his knot disappeared.

“Feeling better?” Harry asked, kissing down Niall’s throat to suck on his collarbone.

“Mmm,” Niall replied. “I can’t remember needing bandaged though.”

“You pulled too hard on the cuffs. Broke the skin.” Harry left his mark and moved over to the other side of Niall’s chest. “Was it okay? Me leaving you?”

Niall nodded. “I loved it. It felt like you didn’t care, but I loved it.”

Harry raised his head. “I do care,” he assured him. “I care so much, Niall, I really do.”

“I know.” Niall kissed him again. “What were you doing though? You were away for  _ ages _ .”

Harry brightened a little as he remembered the book. “I was doing research. That book we found in the library, I think it’s the answer to everything.”

“You should get back to it then.”

“Not while I have you to take care of.”

Niall patted Harry’s chest. “I’m fine now. I’ll tell you if it gets bad again.” He chuckled. “Guess this is what I get for only taking the suppressants every second day. A half-heat.”

“But what will you do?” Harry felt himself starting to go limp. He held Niall’s waist tightly and carried him through to the bedroom, picking the plug up from the bed.

“Can I suck you off?”

“No? What if I knot in your mouth? You wouldn’t be able to breathe, Niall.”

“I don’t think you can do that.” Niall didn’t protest as Harry laid him on his back on the coffee table and slipped out, immediately pressing the plug back in before his come could drip out. “How about I do my writing? I can kneel on the floor - I’ll only suck you off a little, I promise.”

Harry laughed, pulling the chair out from under the desk at an angle. He sat down, spreading his legs invitingly, and watched as Niall crawled across the floor to sit between them. The omega rested his head against Harry’s knee, closing his eyes.

“Do you want to learn to write, or do you just want to go back to sleep again?” Harry asked, with a smile.

“I might just nap,” Niall murmured, shifting until he was cradled between Harry’s legs, his head resting against his alpha’s knee. He whined as he sat on the edge of the plug’s base, pushing it against his rim.

Harry left him to it and picked up the book again, opening it where he left off.

_ ‘So what is an omega? _

_ ‘An omega, in the true, human sense of the word, is an independent male. They are very similar to a gamma, essentially a more restricted, female version of an omega, but traditionally an omega is not used as a sex slave. Though they can bond to an alpha, they often choose not to. There is no need; they cannot get pregnant and have no obvious use in society. _

_ ‘It is for this reason that omegas and gammas were brought together under the same name. The original arrangement, in place up until the end of the Dark Ages, was that omegas were mostly nomadic. They travelled from place to place, never finding a pack and stealing whatever they needed. The term ‘omega’ came to be associated with shameful behaviour, and this view progressed to the association it has today: just plain shameful. _

_ ‘This association is also seen in werewolf lore. Omega was a position of shame, and the member that took this title generally had offended the rest of the pack in some minor way. The omega was shunned until another member took their place. _

_ ‘The question we must ask ourselves is this: why, as a society, did we take gammas and omegas and address them as the same thing? What triggered this change - a change that was so large it affected our society massively? _

_ ‘It is thought that omegas were originally enslaved to stop them from stealing. Their thievery did not stop at food and gold, however, it also included gammas. Some historians believe omegas were categorised as gammas in a punishment meant to fit their crime. Others disagree, and proclaim the change was a result of homosexual outbreaks among alphas and their desire to mate with someone.’ _

Harry snorted.  _ Homosexual outbreaks _ \- they made it sound like it was the flu. He reached down to play with Niall’s hair, feeling the omega press his face into the crook of his knee. The smell Niall’s heat emitted was growing stronger. It was coming back, and soon Niall would be in pain again. Harry moved his leg out from under the omega slowly. Once Niall was on the floor, Harry picked him up and carried him through to the bedroom.

Niall woke when he was placed on the bed. “Harry?” He rubbed his eyes, his head dropping back down to the mattress. “What’re you doing?”

“I can smell it,” Harry replied, kneeling beside him on the bed. “Can’t you feel it?”

Niall nodded, clutching the bedsheets. “Don’t let me hurt myself.”

“Of course not.”

Harry spread Niall’s legs apart and pulled out the plug from earlier. He dragged his finger down from Niall’s balls to his hole, sliding in easily. A mixture of natural lube and come slid down to soak into the already filthy sheets.

“Did you know,” Harry began, “that omegas today aren’t actually omegas? As far as I understand it, female omegas are actually called gammas, and male omegas aren’t supposed to be used for sex at all. You could have been a bandit, Niall. Imagine that: no cuffs, no chains, no master-”

“I like having a master,” Niall replied, lifting his head. “I like being yours.”

“Yeah, but imagine being  _ free _ . I could still be your master - except we could walk the streets like equals.”

“We couldn’t. You’re an alpha, you’d still be ranked higher than me whether I’m an omega or a gamma or whatever.” Niall frowned as Harry slid another finger into him. “How do you know all this?”

“It’s in the book. What do you want me to do, Niall?”

Niall paused. While he was thinking, Harry shuffled closer to him, pressing his face between his cheeks, and began to nibble at the omega’s hole. Niall squirmed a little, whining.

“This,” he replied, flushed. “This,  _ so much _ .”

Harry raised his head. Niall huffed, and he laughed. “Do you want to sit on my face?” Harry grinned.

“Won’t that suffocate you?”

“Don’t be ridiculous, Niall, I’m a grown man. I can figure out how to breathe with you on top of me.” Harry rolled onto his back and tugged on Niall’s ankle. “Come on.”

Niall hesitated, then crawled on top of Harry. He felt the alpha’s nose prod his cheek before his large hands were guiding him into position, his warm breath was blowing across his hole, and suddenly Niall felt his tongue. In surprise, he ground down on Harry’s lips, before jumping up and apologising. Harry laughed, and pulled him back down.

Harry was cocooned by Niall’s scent, unable to escape, and he  _ loved _ it. The taste of his omega’s heat, the warm, slightly sticky substance that dripped onto his lips, tasted like his own personal ambrosia. Something he’d learned long ago came to his attention again, the most absurd fact he could have come up with in the moment - it  _ was _ his own personal ambrosia. In heat, mated omegas produced lube to attract their mate in an attempt to be knotted.

Harry pushed the thought out of his mind and hung onto his last shred of self-control. He pinched Niall’s cheeks and sucked on his rim, poking his tongue into the loose hole. Above him, Niall whined and pushed back against his lips. For a moment, Harry couldn’t breathe. Hot, sweaty skin covered his nose, and his mouth was too concerned with Niall to draw a breath. He pushed Niall away and gasped, then pulled the omega back down before he realised what had happened.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Niall asked, before hiccuping loudly.

Harry nodded, hoping Niall could feel the movement, and nipped at his perineum. Niall half-moaned, half-hiccuped in shock, bouncing a little on Harry’s face. His hiccups intensified, to the point where Harry was laughing so hard his chest hurt. He slipped out from underneath Niall and took the omega into his arms, still laughing.

“Hiccups?” Harry asked, nuzzling into the omega’s throat. “Were you trying not to moan, babe?”

“May-hic-be.” Niall pressed his burning cheeks into Harry’s hair.

Harry lay Niall on the bed, his long fingers wrapping around the omega’s cock. Harry’s hand was slick with lube already, and it only took a few strokes and the pad of Harry’s thumb in the right place to make Niall tremble. He stretched out across the bed, as though his wrists were restrained above his head, and bucked his hips. Harry lowered his head, touching the tip of Niall’s cock with the tip of his tongue. When the omega came, it was in short bursts that alternated between dripping into Harry’s mouth and pooling on his tongue, and casting a white line across the alpha’s sharp cheekbones.

Harry swallowed Niall’s come and lifted his legs gently. The smell of Niall’s heat was weaker now, but still present. It wouldn’t die down until the omega was knotted again. Harry smiled to himself, kissing the inside of Niall’s thigh.

“Do you want a plug, baby?” he asked, leaning over the side of the bed. Niall mumbled a response. “What about the new one?”

Niall nodded absently and Harry pulled out the cardboard box containing his most recent online purchase. The plug was flesh coloured, angled slightly downwards, and was attached to a remote and a bulb. Harry kissed the tip - a habit he’d developed before they used any new toy - and slid it easily into Niall.

“Took it all, babe,” Harry said, stroking the inside of Niall’s leg gently. The omega grunted, semi-conscious. “Want me to make it bigger?”

He took hold of the pink bulb, the pattern feeling almost grenade-like in his hands, and began to squeeze. Niall didn’t react for a few moments, then jolted as though shocked. Harry dropped the bulb to the bed and reached for the remote.

“I’m going to go do some more work,” Harry said, kissing Niall’s hip. “Get away from your smell for a bit - I might hurt you. You can turn the vibrations up and make it bigger, but not the other way around. Come find me once you’ve come twice - no, actually, three times. Understand?”

Niall turned his head to look at him, blue eyes cloudy, and nodded once. Harry’s hand came down hard on his thigh, the skin rippling around the reddening mark, and Niall sat up, pushing the plug further into him.

“Yes, Sir.”

Harry knew the reply was automatic, drilled into him after years of abuse, but there was something about hearing Niall refer to him like an authority that made his cock twitch. He kissed Niall’s forehead and pushed him back down to the bed.

“Y’know,” Harry whispered, his lips brushing Niall’s ear, “I really like the taste of your come.”

Niall’s longing moan playing in his head, Harry laughed and strode out the room, shutting the door behind him. 


	9. Part Nine

Niall rocked back and forth on the bed, his fist loose around the bulb. The plug stretched his walls painfully wide, vibrating furiously, but he couldn’t do anything about it. He’d been greedy, had pushed himself past his limits, and now couldn’t fix it because Harry had forbidden him from turning anything down. Niall pushed his head into the pillow, grinding his teeth together as the plug pulsed inside him.

His cock lay limp against his thigh. The skin on his stomach and crotch was covered in dried come from his two orgasms and he wasn’t sure if he could get another one out before he passed out from the pain. His hole ached and throbbed. He clutched his wrists above his head, pushing the plug further into him. There was nothing pleasurable about this anymore, his body reacting automatically to the sensations.

With relief, he felt himself start to stiffen again. Only one more orgasm and he was free to find Harry and have this bloody toy taken out. He ground his hips down into the mattress, feeling the soaking bedsheets rubbing his skin raw, and squeezed the bulb once more. As the plug expanded, he cried out, arching his back. The overbearing pressure hurt, but not enough to put him off. He had no other choice anyway; he’d already done it.

His fist closed around the bulb again and even with all the lubricant and his heat-fuelled need, the plug began to stretch his walls too much. The burning was nothing close to what he wanted, but it was enough to push him over the edge and suddenly his cock was dribbling onto his stomach and his muscles ached, but it was over and he could take this damn thing out. Or, no, _Harry_ could take this damn thing out.

Niall forced himself to sit up, clenching his jaw. With the plug so big, he could only waddle through to the living room, come and lube sliding down his thighs. Upon entering the living room, he paused to take in Harry’s natural state: hunched over a desk, furiously scribbling notes on post-its and sticking them into a book. Niall watched how Harry’s thumb smoothed over the post-it, making sure it was stuck down properly. His thumb absently wandered to his lips, smoothing over the deep pink skin, before reaching for the pen again.

Niall staggered over to the desk, kneeling beside Harry’s feet. He held the bulb and the vibrator controls tightly in his hand, so tightly that he accidentally made the plug bigger. His squeal of pain was what attracted Harry’s attention, and Niall heard the scraping of the chair being pushed back and then he was wrapped in Harry’s arms, carried over to the sofa. Harry’s long fingers plucked the remote from his loose fist, switching it off and discarding it beside them, and then slid the plug out. Niall slid his gaze towards Harry at his sharp gasp, the alpha twisting the plug around. It was huge; Niall could hardly believe that less than a second ago it had been inside him. No wonder it had hurt.

“You took it all, baby,” Harry murmured, leaning over to press a kiss to Niall’s forehead. “Such a good boy for me.”

Niall mewled, too weak to speak. Harry disappeared as Niall’s eyes fluttered shut. He felt empty now that the plug had been removed, as though something was missing. When Harry returned with a wet cloth and a blanket, Niall let himself be cleaned and wrapped up, lying on the sofa with Harry behind him, spooning against his back.

“You can sleep,” Harry whispered, kissing the back of his neck.

 

 

Niall woke to the quiet background noise of the TV and Harry’s fingers drawing shapes on his stomach. His abdomen ached, but Harry’s touch was soothing. Niall covered his hand with his own and Harry paused, nuzzling into his shoulder.

“Hiya,” Harry murmured. “How do you feel?”

“Sore,” Niall replied. “But not like I’m in heat.”

Harry laughed breathily. “Think I fucked it out of you.”

Niall twined his fingers through Harry’s and lifted their hands. Harry’s skin was a shade darker, stained with the ink he’d been using all day, and felt rougher. He pulled their hands up to his mouth and kept them there, lips pressed to the back of Harry’s hand.

“Love you,” he murmured, cheeks flushing pink. No matter how much he thought about it, or how many times Harry said it, Niall still had the nervous anticipation that came with waiting to hear Harry say it back.

“Love you too,” Harry replied, sending Niall’s heart fluttering. “Your choice for dinner tonight.”

Niall frowned and twisted to face him. “No it’s not.”

“Is now. You were so good for me today.” Harry pulled his hand away from Niall’s and rubbed the omega’s hip instead. “You deserve so much more, but dinner is all I can offer at the moment.”

Niall laughed and tried to sit up, but winced and lay back down. His stomach burned when he moved. Harry’s fingers crept back to where they’d been before he’d woken, gently massaging his muscles, as Niall tried not to breathe too deeply.

“Takeaway?” Harry asked brightly. “You don’t have to move.”

“Pizza?”

Harry nodded and climbed over the back of the sofa to get his laptop. Niall shimmied up the sofa until he was sitting up against the padded arm, and spread his legs out. He’d never been this sore before, not without a punishment of some sort. Though it hurt to move, he was beginning to enjoy the pain. It was a sign of how well Harry fucked him – even from the next room.

When Harry returned, he sat opposite Niall, mirroring his position. Their feet knocked against each other. Not a word was exchanged as Harry ordered their pizzas; both of them knew what they would have. When he was finished, Harry sat his laptop on the floor and glanced at his desk.

“What did you find out?” Niall asked.

Harry’s eyes lit up. “Omegas are biologically different to gammas. You’re not supposed to have heat, Niall. There’s no reason whatsoever. Somewhere along the line, omegas that developed heat-like symptoms would be taken up by noblemen or whatever and would be used as sex slaves – the origin of our modern society, obviously. The omegas that didn’t show heat were killed. So natural selection stepped in and omegas began going into heat because it meant they had a better chance of survival. There’s literally no reason other than alphas being dicks. Which, I find, is always what it seems to boil down to.”

“You’re not a dick,” Niall said softly.

Harry beamed. “Thanks, but I am. It’s biologically programmed. I do _try_ and fight it, but, well… Sometimes your scent is too much for me. But that’s another difference between omegas and gammas: gammas have a naturally subservient urge. They will automatically bow to alphas, sometimes even betas. But omegas, they’re only beginning to develop that urge. That’s why you went through training, Niall. Because they knew you didn’t have that natural response. Omegas are supposed to be nomadic, are supposed to avoid authority and confrontation. Gammas almost enjoy it.”

“So they know about this? They know there’s a difference?”

“They know there’s a difference, but I doubt most of them know why. Although, I wouldn’t put it past the alphas that are in charge of everything to have kept this to themselves. Makes me wonder why they let that book get published in the first place.”

Harry sat up, a gleam in his eye that Niall had never seen before. It was similar to when he was turned on, but his eyes were a lot lighter. Niall leaned forward too, ignoring the pain in his stomach.

“I’m a lawyer,” Harry said.

“I know,” Niall replied.

“I mean I have status. I have name recognition, I have _privilege_. The government might be able to silence an anonymous author with no credit, but they can’t silence me.”

Niall shook his head. “I don’t… What are you suggesting?”

“I can write a book.” Harry grinned, and Niall recognised the look in his eye as that of a madman. “I can write a book on omegas, on how our entire society is wrong, and no one would be able to stop me.”

“Harry, that’s a lot of work.”

The alpha looked hurt. “Don’t you want me to do this? Don’t you want us to be able to walk down the street holding hands as equals?”

“Of course I do, it’s just this is a big commitment. Are you sure you’re going to have time?”

“I can do it at work, we’re not busy just now, and when we get busy I can write it here.”

“And what’s going to be in it? You’re not a scientist or anything.”

“I’ll write about the laws, when and why they changed. I can write about how you’re treated in public, I can write about the people that come through my office every day. Niall, I can do this. Don’t you believe that?”

Niall dropped his gaze and for a moment, Harry’s shocked silence fell around the room. Before he could speak, Harry was getting off the sofa and storming into the bedroom. The soft click of the door said more to Niall than any slamming could have. On the sofa, by himself, Niall covered his face.

He’d fucked up. He’d fucked up and now Harry was mad at him. What had he learned during training? Let the alpha do what he wanted. Always. There were no exceptions to that rule; the alpha’s word was law as far as omegas were concerned. And he’d fucked that up.

He pressed himself into the sofa and turned his attention to the television, desperate for a distraction. The screen flickered as the episodes melted into one, blurred through his tears, and outside the sky darkened. Niall stayed curled up, too sore to move and not daring to go check on Harry. If he was being honest, Niall was a little scared of what Harry would do. The alpha had never been so angry before, except for perhaps when Liam had pushed his limits in the office. Never before had Harry’s anger been directed at Niall though. It was terrifying; now Niall knew why all the other omegas followed orders without hesitation.

Niall was just beginning to doze off, still sitting sideways on the sofa, face pressed into the back cushions, when the bedroom door opened quietly. Harry was beside the sofa before Niall could react, hooking a finger through the metal loop on the collar still buckled around Niall’s throat and pulling the omega from the sofa. Niall hissed in pain, stumbling behind Harry as his alpha dragged him through to the kitchen.

“You want to stay a slave then fine,” Harry spat, shoving Niall to the ground. He took the leash from where he’d wrapped it around his shoulders and clicked it into place on Niall’s collar, tying the other end to the handle of a cupboard next to the fridge. “I’ll treat you like a slave.”

The ball gag was next, shoved into Niall’s mouth so far he choked. Harry had equipment hanging out of the pockets of the jeans he was wearing. He’d apparently dressed while planning Niall’s punishment. The cuffs were next, fastened tightly around Niall’s wrists and ankles, pressing painfully on the bandage tied around his wrist. His hands were bound behind his back, his ankles tied together and brought up to meet his wrists. Harry rolled him onto his side, slapping his bared ass harder than he ever had before.

Niall deserved this. Deep down, he’d expected this to happen. Harry’s loving demeanour had been an act, used to relax him so he’d slip up and break all the rules. As Harry knelt beside his bent and bound body, slick cock in hand, Niall forced himself to go limp and take it. It had been part of his training: never fight, just relax and let it happen. He knew the statistics too – 99% of all omegas were raped within the first week. Niall was surprised he’d made the minority.

Harry’s cock was soft. That was the first thing he noticed. The second was that whenever Harry pushed in, his head was bent over Niall’s torso, which was quickly streaked with tears. Even through the pain, Niall still felt like he had to comfort Harry. But his alpha didn’t want his comfort. The thought that Harry hated this as much as he did didn’t even cross Niall’s mind, even when the alpha pulled out and shoved himself across the floor, sobbing loudly into his hands.

“I can’t,” Harry wailed. “I just can’t. God, Niall, I’m so sorry. I don’t know why – I asked Liam, he said that’s what he would do. I don’t understand.”

Niall didn’t move, just listened to Harry’s sobs recede into quiet sniffing. He felt the alpha’s hands on his wrists and ankles, lithe fingers trembling violently. The cuffs came off, thrown angrily across the room along with the collar and the gag, and Harry slid backwards across the floor again. Slowly, Niall sat up, trying to make it as painless as possible. He kept his gaze lowered, submissive, his head bowed, and waited for Harry to say something.

Harry said, “Fuck, Niall, look at me. Please.”

Niall blinked slowly, and looked up at his master. Harry’s face was red and streaked with tears, still sniffing. His cock, limp and pathetic, hung out of his jeans, just unzipped enough to get it out. He wrung his hands incessantly, reaching up to run fingers through his knotted hair every few seconds.

“I’m sorry,” Harry breathed, his hand reaching up as though to cover his mouth.

Niall just nodded.

“Baby, I just- I’m sorry.”

Niall dropped his gaze again. Sometimes he forgot how _young_ Harry was, how inexperienced and susceptible to pressure – from Liam especially – he was. He’d think of how respectable of a lawyer Harry was, and how good at his job and dedicated he was, and forget that Harry was younger than him. It wasn’t an excuse, not by a long shot, but it explained why, when Niall looked at him now, he looked like nothing more than a kid.

“I think we should go to bed,” Niall said quietly.

Harry nodded and scrambled to his feet, holding out a hand for Niall to take. Niall looked at his hand, ink-stained and scratched from the wringing, and pushed himself to his feet, stepping past Harry and continuing to the bedroom. There was a moment’s pause, when he believed Harry would start to cry again, but instead the alpha’s padding feet followed, keeping a short distance between them.

They climbed into their sides of the bed they’d never separated before, lying with their backs to one another. Niall felt Harry pull the duvet up to cover his head, something he only did when he was stressed or upset, but the urge to comfort his alpha didn’t come like it normally would. Instead, Niall reached for the bedside light and turned it off, plunging both of them into darkness.

Niall stared into the darkness until long after the sunrise.


	10. Chapter 10

Harry woke with a sudden jerk that left him breathless. He’d dreamt he was falling, pushed from the top of a cliff. He sat up, the sheets pooling around his waist. Already, the dream was slipping away from him, along with the face of whoever had pushed him. He glanced at the digital clock, on the bedside table, past Niall.  6:37.

Harry ran a hand through his hair, his gaze dropping to the space between himself and Niall. It had never been there before. His head hurt, throbbing erratically as he took in the gap, growing the more he stared. Niall felt a million miles away, the sheets dropping low enough for Harry to see the pale flesh of his back, tinged purple. He wondered if he’d done that.

The night before lingered in the back of his mind even as he tried to avoid remembering it. Harry knew what he’d done. The pain and humiliation he’d put Niall through, on the kitchen floor, all because he’d felt insecure. The omega knew exactly what had going to happen; he must have seen it a million times before. Harry had ruined their relationship with one rage-induced tantrum, like a child, and had betrayed Niall. There was no coming back from that.

He shoved the sheets aside and got up, rolling his shoulders as he walked through to the kitchen and put the kettle on. The kitchen worktop was cool against his fingertips as he drummed absently on the marble. He didn’t want to see Niall. He didn’t want to force Niall to see him either. The tea burnt his mouth when he lifted the mug to his lips too soon. He didn’t think he could ever face Niall again.

He sank into the cushions on the sofa and let his head fall back. Niall’s reaction was what had unnerved him the most, Harry decided. It had been the brief, triumphant look that had faded to docility. As though he’d known this was going to happen eventually. As though Harry was no better than the rest of them.

It was frustrating. Harry was different, he wasn’t like the others. He tried not to be, at least, but he knew deep down lay the same desires. Deep down, he was no better than Liam. The possessive, controlling arse was the standard alpha model, and Harry was just another product of that mould. He could pretend to control himself all he wanted, but Niall would still never trust him again.

He turned towards the desk, where the book lay. It was still open, resting on its pages with its spine raised, a yoga pose for literature. _That_ was where the fault lay. If he hadn’t had that idea to write the book, a book that already existed as well, nothing would have happened last night.

Harry receded back into the sofa. That was a pathetic excuse and he knew it. It was his fault. He finished his tea and set the mug on the table, the soft _clink_ reverberating through the glass. Niall’s toys lay in a pile to one side, magnified through the table. Without thinking, Harry picked up the toy on top, a small plug, and turned it over in his hands. Niall was still in heat, and he wouldn’t want Harry’s help anymore. Harry was nothing but a nuisance now. He dropped the toy and got to his feet again.

He took a long shower and dressed in silence, not daring to cross over to Niall’s side of the room. The omega hadn’t moved since he’d left, and Harry had the inkling that he wasn’t asleep at all. Though it was Sunday, there was paperwork mounting in the office. Spending the morning working seemed like a good enough distraction.

Harry felt a little guilty, as he boiled the kettle again and slid bread into the toaster, that he was leaving Niall during heat. The omega was not as bad now – the stress and hormones circulating through his system after last night would have put a stop to the process, so his heat would be tapering to an end. It was still cruel to leave him.

Harry buttered the toast and arranged it on the wooden tray. There was no telling when Niall woke up, if he was actually asleep, but he didn’t mind cold toast. It was the thought that counted anyway, right? Harry paused in the bedroom doorway. His hands trembled; tea splashed over the edge of the mug. The orange juice next to it wobbled but remained in the glass. With a deep breath, he entered the room and tiptoed over to where Niall lay.

The omega didn’t move. Harry sat the tray down on the bedside table and hesitated. Should he kiss Niall goodbye? He normally would, but this was no normal situation. After a moment’s deliberation, Harry stole away without touching him.

On his way out the door, he swiped the troublesome book from his desk, tucking it into his bag.

 

 

It was 9:06 when Harry arrived at his office. The door was open; while the office was shut to clients at the weekend, many of the staff still came in to look over files. Harry had never been here outside of the working week, but nevertheless he climbed the stairs to his office with determination, passing nobody.

Liam wasn’t there, much to Harry’s relief. The alpha would have asked after Niall, and probably would have had Zayn put on a show once Harry caved and told him what had happened. Harry sank into his chair and dropped his bag at his feet. Already, his inbox was beginning to overflow. Papers had normally drifted to the floor by the time he arrived on Monday morning, so at least this was an improvement. He took a pen from the inset in the desk, drew the top paper closer to him, and began to work.

Half an hour later, he stared at the blank paper in front of him, gnawing on the end of his pen. He’d pushed his paperwork to the side – it hadn’t held his attention for very long – and had gone back to his omega problem. This was the real issue. Forget the pile of cases – if he could prove omegas were people, there would be no need for omega ownership disputes. Omegas wouldn’t be owned. He owed it to Niall, whether the omega agreed with him or not.

He fished the book out from his bag and let it fall open to a random page. It was near the end, the only chapter Harry hadn’t skimmed through yet, the first paragraph part of a discussion on why omegas were treated as gammas. The author suggested the primary reason was control: if almost half the population were owned, they would be dealt with by their owners. The government saved money on law enforcement, prisons, and general welfare. There was no need to look after abandoned omegas or gammas in a country that accepted mercy killings. Harry knew about the vast numbers of omegas that disappeared from the streets, how shelters set up by the more compassionate betas were reporting rapidly dropping numbers. It was Liam’s main focus; he complained all the time about the cases before promptly dropping them into the bin.

Harry wandered behind Liam’s desk. He’d only been round here a few times before. The other alpha was overly protective of his stuff and locked all of his drawers. He wasn’t as good at hiding the key, however; Harry found it taped to the underside of his desk, along with a picture of Zayn. He merely glanced at the picture before making a disgusted face and taping it back where he’d found it. What Liam did to his omegas was unthinkable.

The bottom drawer on the left side of Liam’s desk contained several thin folders, all labelled in his neat handwriting. Harry shifted through them until he found the one he was looking for – a thicker folder with the words ‘MISSING OMEGAS’ printed on it. He locked the drawer and taped the key under the desk again, taking the folder over to his own desk.

The contents were just as he’d suspected. There were long statements given by concerned betas and other omegas who happened to be present – not that their word counted for much in police proceedings, unless it was a very special circumstance – and short police reports that could be summed up in a sentence: nobody cares, we gave up. Along with the statements were numerical reports coming from somewhere higher up in the government, according to the watermark at the top of the page. These reports detailed the numbers of omegas disappearing every month, along with two other columns of numbers, both unlabelled. That was not Liam’s style; it would have pissed him off.

Harry flicked through the reports until he came across one that had smudges at the tops of the columns. Someone had written in titles and rubbed them out again. There were still imprints in the paper, but not quite deep enough for Harry to make out. He yanked open the top drawer in his desk, rummaging through the mess until he found a piece of scrap paper and a pencil. He’d never felt more like a child as he scribbled over the imprints, producing them on the paper. He sat back, and looked at what he’d uncovered.

**MISSING OMEGAS**      _RECAPTURED OMEGAS         OMEGAS PRESUMED DEAD_

Harry felt his heart flutter. He was on to something big here, he could feel it. Recaptured omegas? He looked through the reports again. There was nothing on any of them that so much as hinted at the return of any missing persons. The last two columns added up to produce the number in the first, with the number of recaptured omegas being significantly higher than those presumed dead.

Where were these omegas going? Not home, that was for sure. Wherever that answer lay, it wasn’t here. Harry took pictures of all the sheets in the file. The reports went back years. He tucked everything back into the file and hid it back under the pile in the drawer.

“Come on Zayn. We’ll have some time to ourselves in the office.”

Harry ducked under the desk instinctively. Why did Liam have to come in now? Couldn’t he have stayed outside a little longer? He taped the key to the underside of the desk again and shuffled out just as the door opened.

“Harry.” Liam frowned and glanced at Zayn, standing behind him obediently. “What are you doing under my desk?”

“Dropped my pen.” Harry’s answer was too fast. He grabbed a pen from the floor and held it up, offering a nervous lopsided grin. “Bloody thing rolled under your desk.”

“Right.” Liam pulled Zayn into the room and shut the door behind him. “Actually, what are you doing here on a Sunday?”

“Thought I’d get a bit of work done. Not that that happened, obviously – I just made a mess. But I’m just leaving.”

Harry backed away from Liam’s desk, shuffling all of his papers into a large, messy pile with some irrelevant ownership paper on top. Liam was still frowning at him as he sat down behind his desk, watching as Harry shoved all of the papers into his bag. The book was still lying open. Harry leapt for it, clutching it tightly to his chest. His face was red, his hair mussed up from kneeling beneath Liam’s desk, and he was audibly panting. He might as well have had GUILTY printed across his forehead. He shot Liam a grin and backed out of the room.

“I’ll see you later,” he called, closing the door behind him.

Harry fled down the hall, head bowed, ignoring anyone who tried to speak to him. Out in his car, he dropped the book and his bag on the passenger’s seat and leaned back, breathing heavily. For ten minutes, he tried to regain his breath, watching the people walking along the street. Couples wandered past, holding hands and occasionally the leash of an omega. They laughed in the sunshine, stopping to window shop, or crossing the road to go into the family-friendly park if they had no omega. Harry had always found those parks pointless, children were exposed to omegas everywhere else from the moment they first went outside, so having omega-free spaces became redundant.

He’d never be able to take Niall into one of those parks.

His fingers fumbled in his jacket for his phone. He opened his contacts and scrolled down, stopping with his finger on Niall’s name. It was really the landline in his house, but Harry liked to think eventually Niall would have his own phone in his name, when they were both equals. He hovered over the call button. Niall would have to know about this, but he’d be annoyed that Harry had gone behind his back. If he was even still speaking to Harry, that was. He might just not pick up the phone at all.

No. Harry pressed the home button. He’d tell Niall when he had more definitive proof. After all, those papers could mean anything. Those titles could have been written on another sheet of paper on top of that report.

Harry opened his gallery and looked at the pictures of the report. There was the official governmental watermark at the top of the page, and an address. He started the car. He had a long day ahead of him.


End file.
